Back in Weatherfield
by CarlaFromCorrie
Summary: A direct continuation from 'Venice Adventures' follows some storylines from the show as well as a new one thrown in. How will Carla and Peter act when a bombshell is thrown at them sooner than they both expected?
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a continuation from 'Venice Adventures' and will follow some but not all storylines in the show**_

* * *

Peter was desperate to get Carla home after her confession to leave Venice. Claudia looked up some flight details and the couple made their way home. Carla was pretty unsettled for most of the flight and Peter knew he had to use all of his energy to calm her down. He got Michelle to meet them at the airport to collect them as he thought Carla would be pleased to see her, which she was. They made their way back to Coronation Street, Michelle was apprehensive to make conversation in case it set of unwanted emotions, so she decided small talk was the way to go.

"Right we're here, shall we go and see Roy then?" Peter asks Carla who had her head rested on his shoulder, she shrugs in return taking off her seatbelt and heading into the café

"Well that went well" Michelle says raising an eyebrow, getting the cases out of the boot

"She's been like that for the past few days, it's just got progressively worse" he sighs grabbing one of the cases to help Michelle take them up the stairs

"Hi Roy" Peter nods at him

"I noticed Carla storming through the café, I was going to check on her but I don't have anyone to manage the customers" he rambles on slightly "What are you doing back so early?"

"Long story short, she's struggling so I thought we'd come home early to see if it was being away which was becoming the problem" he sighs leaning against the door to the flat

"What are you doing?" Carla says accusingly, appearing from the bottom of the stairs

"What do you mean?" Peter asks

"Stop talking about me" she huffs angrily grabbing her coat from the worn-down wooden pegs which were situated on the wall beside her

"Where are you going?" Peter questions attempting to grab her wrist to stop her

"Don't touch me!" she shrieks bringing the attention of the customers in the café to her outburst before dipping her head and leaving

"'Chelle would you mind? She's not going to want to see me" Peter asks

"Sure, no problem you go and unpack" she smiles leaving the café in search for Carla

* * *

Michelle wonders around the local streets trying to find Carla, she takes a breather for a moment due to the fast pace she'd been walking at to ensure that she didn't let Peter down. She sat down on the bench outside the salon, exhausted from being out of breath she glances over to the medical centre where a bench was situated outside of it and there she saw Carla her legs tucked up to her chest with her chin resting on her knees, she hesitantly makes her way over to her.

"Need a friend?" Michelle questions as Carla shrugs, taking a seat next to her on the bench. They sit there for what seems like an eternity in a companionable silence.

"What are you still doing here?" Carla asks quietly

"I could ask you the same question" Michelle says raising her eyebrows

"Fair point" she shrugs

"So then, you've picked up your pills" Michelle says gesturing to the prescription bag Carla was grasping

"Yeah. Did Peter send you to check up on me?" she asks diverting the subject

"Well he sent me to find you to make sure you're alright" Michelle says receiving a confused expression from Carla

"I believe you" Carla smiles

"How was Venice?" Michelle asks cautiously

"Um well me and Peter went to the beach a couple of days in, then we had a meal" Carla says glumly

"Elaborate" Michelle prompts

"We made some decisions about the future that's all"

"What sort of decisions?"

"Well we'd agree we would settle down, get our own place that sort of thing…" Carla trails off

"Ok…and you're not happy with that?" Michelle asks again gently

"I am, I really want for that to happen it's just Peter he wants more" Carla sighs

"What? Like to get married again?" Michelle frowns confused at the prospect

"No he wants to have a baby"

"Oh and you don't?"

"I do, I think it's just that I don't want to replace the baby I lost, she was a part of me that I lost" Carla says welling up at the fact her daughter is no longer here

"I understand darling, I do. Is that why you wanted to speak to me?" she smiles sliding her arm around her shoulders

"Yeah it was but I don't know its just much easier for me to do it face to face, probably all that counselling" she stifles a laugh

"I'm sorry if I'm reading too much into it but you don't sound too convinced" Michelle says

"I think it might be too late that's all" Carla sighs

"What! You still have time and if it doesn't work there's other options" Michelle suggests

"No not that" Carla rolls her eyes

"Then what!" Michelle shrieks

"I think I may already be up the stick 'Chelle" Carla exclaims before walking away to clear her head leaving Michelle shocked

"Car! Wait up!" Michelle exclaims following her

"What" she hisses obviously annoyed about public attention being drawn to her

"Come back to mine eh?" Michelle asks holding her arm out for her to take

"Fine" she huffs making her way to Victoria Court with Michelle

* * *

Michelle busies herself making a drink to warm her up from being outside. It was quite cold considering it was still October. She debated whether to ring Peter, which would probably be the best but she knew if she did that Carla wouldn't trust her again.

"One cup of tea for you my dear" she grins handing Carla a mug

"Thanks 'Chelle" she sighs

"That should warm you up, or should I say both of you" she raises her eyebrows

"Don't this has been plaguing my mind since that holiday to Venice started" Carla huffs taking a sip of her tea

"Sorry, so then what are we going to do then?" Michelle asks rubbing Carla's arm reassuringly, knowing that Carla's paranoia would never settle to the extent she would be so carefree

"I think I want to know first just so I can get my head around it you know but I'm pretty sure to be honest" she says tearfully as tears spill down her cheeks

"Oh Car, there's nothing else is there?" Michelle prompts gently

"I'm struggling that's all, too much going on up here" Carla explains, tears still staining her cheeks

"Can I ring Peter sweetheart, I think he should be here" she says holding Carla's hand as Carla nods

"'Chelle don't leave me" Carla begs and yawns afterwards, leaning against Michelle

"Why don't you have a sleep eh?" Michelle says stroking her hair gently

"Hmm" she says closing her eyes

* * *

A while later Peter enters the flat after Michelle called him when Carla was having a sleep on her sofa. Michelle made him a drink whilst he sat on the floor beside Carla who was still laid out on the sofa, a small smile on her face obviously dreaming peacefully before her eyes sprung open in shock.

"Hello beautiful" he smiles at her

"Cheesy" she laughs slightly as he takes a seat next to her

"Come here" he says patting his lap

"Peter I'm not a little kid" she huffs moving onto his lap

"I know you like it so… what's happening in your head then" Peter smiles tapping her head and she just shrugs

"I-I" she stammers unable to get the words out

"Do you want me to tell him darling?" Michelle asks her

"Please don't be mad" Carla panics fiddling with the sleeves of her top

"I won't be" he smiles reassuringly

"She think she might be, you know" Michelle hints trying to get Carla to talk about the situation herself

"Oh Carla, why didn't you say darling, are you sure?" he asks gazing into her eyes to try and reassure her

"I haven't taken a test yet, she wouldn't let me take it without you" Carla says glancing at Michelle, narrowing her eyes

"Don't look at me like that, I just don't want further falling outs from secrets an' all that" she huffs rolling her eyes before getting up to go to the bathroom and returning with a test

"You have your own supply?" Peter questions

"Oh my god, it's just for emergencies me and Robert are no way trying for a baby, I barely see enough of him as it is let alone enough to-"

"Ok enough we don't need gory details" Carla says sticking her fingers in her ears like a little kid

"Right then you going to take this then Car?" Peter prompts gently

"I'm scared" she admits still not wanting to engage eye contact

"I know you are, look why don't you take it we don't have to look at it until you're ready" he suggests, she looks weary for a minute judging him to make sure she was in control, she got up and head off to the bathroom, test in hand


	2. Chapter 2

"Is this going to set her back?" Michelle asks clearing up the mugs from the coffee table in the middle of the room and placing them in the dish washer for later tonight

"It might bring back some unwanted memories that's all but we will need to speak to Scott to talk about her medication and all that" Peter explains

"Why are you talking about me?" Carla frowns appearing from the bathroom with the test wrapped in tissue

"We're just worried about you" Michelle explains as Carla rolls her eyes

"You don't need to worry about me 24/7 I am capable of doing things on my own" she sighs "It's like I'm a little kid completely dependent on other people, I don't want to live my life like that ok?" she rambles on slightly, panic evident in her voice

"We understand, we just want to make sure you know we're both here for you, that's all" Michelle smiles as Carla narrows her eyes

"Come here" Peter says patting his lap as Carla sits on it

"I'm scared, really scared Peter" Carla says closing her eyes for a bit trying to stop the tears which were pooling her eyes but all attempts fail and they trickle down her face

"Oh sweetheart, I know you're scared but you have me, you have Michelle, Roy even" Peter suggests wiping her cheeks for her

"I'm so tired of being stressed out over this Peter, so tired" she yawns as he tightens his grip on her

"I know you are, baby" he sighs, his heart breaking at the sight of Carla being so down, glancing at Michelle for a bit of support

"I just don't want anything to go wrong" she whispers

"I know, shall we have a look then because there might not be anything to go wrong" Peter suggests which Carla nods slowly to

"I can do it, I'm ready now" Carla says confidently taking the test

"What does it say then?" Peter prompts

"I'm pregnant" Carla says a slight smile on her face

"Really?" Michelle beams

"Really look" Carla says handing her the test

"Are you happy?" Peter asks

"Happy but mostly scared" Carla replies

"So then what do you want to do now?" Peter asks Carla stroking her hair gently

"I don't know" she shrugs clearly in shock

"Ok how about we all make a plan" Michelle suggests as Peter and Carla both pull faces "Oi! My plans a rather good actually!" she exclaims

"Ok fire away" Carla sighs

"So let's ring Scott see where we go from there, is there anyone else you want to tell?" Michelle suggests taking a sip of the coffee that was a lukewarm temperature

"I agree I think we should ring Scott sooner rather than later, just because we don't know if your medication is harmful" Peter says watching Carla contemplate an answer

"I don't want to tell anyone" Carla replies

"What about Roy, he might need to know Car" Michelle states

"He can't know, he's not knowing" she replies working herself up

"Car we can't hide it from him if you're living there" Peter explains

"Then I'll move" she persists getting up and pacing the room

"Carla you need to calm down, this isn't good for either of you" Michelle says

"I can't do this, I don't think I can go through this again" Carla panics, her breathing irregular her panic laced expression which concerns Peter

"Carla you need to calm down, ok otherwise I will have to phone Scott" Peter says taking his phone out of his pocket

"I'm going" Carla says grabbing her coat and trying to escape

"No Carla" Michelle races to the door and grabs her by the shoulders to stop her from escaping the situation, instead she just breaks down in her arms "Shh you're ok" they both slide onto the floor holding onto each other for dear life

"I'm not though am I?" Carla looks into Michelle's eyes trying to find the reassurance she desperately needs, Michelle glances at Peter who was knelt down on the floor beside them both

"I'm going to ring Scott" Peter mouths silently to Michelle who was still holding Carla

"Carla can we move darlin' it's just that-"

"No"

"Ok we don't have to" Michelle smiles still trying to calm Carla's breathing as Peter comes returns to kneeling down beside them both

"Peter?" Carla questions looking at him "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know love, do you want anything?" Peter asks

"Is Scott coming?" Carla asks ignoring Peter's question

"Yes he is, is that ok?" Peter asks

"I don't care anymore" she says closing her eyes and leaning against Michelle

"Alright I'm going to need to move her because Scott's downstairs" he tells Michelle as he manoeuvres Carla so he can pick her up and place her on the sofa, giving her a kiss on the forehead he heads downstairs to get Scott, both of them returning a short while later.

"Hi Michelle, isn't it?" Scott greets her

"Yeah, do you want me to wake her?" she offers

"Let her sleep for a bit longer, so then what's been happening?" he asks

"Well we went to Venice as we told you, she was fine when we were there until the third day in when she wanted to talk about the future and stuff, she took it really well at first, she was talking about settling down maybe having another baby, it went all down from there really, she started getting panicky, sneaking around generally anxious so she wanted to come home" Peter explains

"Ok did she seem paranoid like someone was out to get her at all?" Scott questions writing away on the notepad which he had propped up in his briefcase

"I don't know really, I mean she was putting on a front and I think it all just got too much for her, she wasn't anything like she was before Carlisle or stuff like but there were elements of it, I don't really know how to explain" Peter sighs running his hand through his hair, closing his eyes temporarily

"Hmm ok, anything else?" Scott prompts thinking that there was probably more

"So we come back she slept for the whole journey practically a little unsettled maybe then we get here and she storms off, I decide to let Michelle go and find her because I gathered that I was being a bit too overbearing" he explains

"Ok, so what happened next" he gestures for Michelle to continue

"Well I was walking around I saw her sat on the bench outside the medical centre, she had her pills because I guessed she needed a top up, we sat in silence for a bit then I tried to get her to talk about Venice, which she did but she wasn't very fourth coming, very vague, if that makes sense" Michelle pauses, taking a sip of water waiting a while for Scott to catch up

"Ok continue" Scott smiles, gesturing for her to continue again

"Well she was talking about the conversation she had with Peter about the future, about how she missed her baby girl, the one she lost then she was going on about how Peter wanted more, so I asked her what she meant and she was like, he wants a baby so I stupidly say and you don't then she says it might already be too late" she pauses again for another drink of water while Scott catches up

"Want me to continue?" Michelle asks

"Sorry I'm just making sure I get all the details" Scott replies

"So I asked her what she meant thinking she meant her age, so I was making sure to be positive saying that there was other options so she shot me a confused look saying that wasn't what she meant then she suggested that she was already pregnant, then she stormed off again but I managed to stop her and bring her back here before she ran away then she fell asleep then I called Peter" Michelle explains

"Ok has she taken a test?" Scott asks

"Yes she did, it was positive" Peter smiles

"Ok well congratulations, is there any more I should know?" Scott asks getting his laptop to update her medical records

"Well she started getting panicky again scared she was going to lose it, she didn't want to tell Roy but I said that we kind of have to because she lives there so she was adamant that she would move out so she didn't have to tell Roy then she broke down in tears and fell asleep again so I moved her there" he says gesturing to the sofa where Carla was laying on

"Hm this could bring unwanted emotions I want to warn you further but I think you found that out yourselves. Her mind is still very fragile and I think making this into a positive for her is the way to go forward, I can increase her medication slightly to see if that has an effect to calm her anxieties but I obviously don't want to increase it too much so she becomes reliant on it" he explains

"Right I just worry because she had a miscarriage due to stress so if it were to happen again then I think she would be heartbroken" Peter explains as Scott nods sympathetically

"Ok so this is what I want you to do make an appointment with the GP to see where we go from there, tell her GP that she's under my care and they will pass all the information over to the midwife, I want to speak to her before I head off just in case she has issues returning to Roy's" Scott smiles grabbing some leaflets and putting them into a plastic wallet to give to them

"Thanks so much Scott, I didn't know what to do" Peter sighs


	3. Chapter 3

"Carla darling" Peter says waking her gently, she jumps at his touch slightly before her expression softens

"What's happening?" she asks looking at him for reassurance

"Scott's here, I've told him about what's going on" he smiles stroking her hair

"Hi Carla" Scott says

"What's going to happen to me?" Carla asks apprehensively

"Well I will congratulate you first, as I've just been talking with Michelle and Peter we're deciding that we want to make a GP appointment for you to get checked over so that they can transfer you over to the midwife sooner rather than later" Scott smiles going to sit in the arm chair

"Ok what about my medications, are they safe?" she asks sleepily

"They are safe as long as you take the correct dosage you have been given, I have decided to increase your medication just because I think you may need help dealing with some of the anxieties that could set off another episode due to the pregnancy" he explains

"Sorry I don't really know what else to say, I wasn't really expecting it if I'm being honest" Carla says stifling a laugh

"But it's a good surprise?" Scott confirms

"Now that I've slept on it, all fears aside, I think I'm going to try really hard to make sure this works out" she reflects positively

"We should think about getting back to Roy's, he'll be wondering where we are" Peter pipes up so Scott can gage a reaction

"No, did you not listen to me before?" Carla snaps angrily

"I did, why don't you want to go to Roy's?" Peter asks as Scott watches on as Carla stares into space not engaging with anyone

"Carla?" Scott prompts her out of her trance

"No" she replies bluntly

"Ok then, where do you want to go?" Scott asks

"I want to be with Peter and Michelle" she replies almost robotic

"Well Roberts away on business, I would offer you guys the spare room but Ali and Ryan are staying here" Michelle says

"Ok what is it about Roy's you don't like Carla?" Scott questions

"I'll have to tell him, I'm not ready to do that yet" she replies

"Ok, what if we stay at my dad's, I have the keys him and Claudia are still in Venice so it will just be us" Peter suggests

"That sounds better, can Michelle stay too" Carla asks not engaging in any eye contact

"Darling, I'm sorry but I can't I need to get the place ready for Robert coming home tomorrow and I don't really want to leave the boys here alone for the night they'll burn the place down" Michelle laughs slightly

"How about Michelle comes with me to pick up a bag then we can both come and get you settled at my dad's eh?" Peter suggests kissing her forehead

"Ok, as long as Michelle comes" Carla insists

"I will" Michelle smiles

"Right I'm going to leave you to it ok, if you need me call me" Scott says

"Alright Scott, thanks for everything" Peter replies gratefully watching Scott leave the flat

"Come on then, shall we go and get some bags packed?" he says holding his arm out for her to take

* * *

They both head back to Roy's to pack some bags and collect Carla's medication box as well as her book she likes Peter to read to her when she's having a bad day. They collect Michelle on the way to Ken's to see if she can help with settling Carla for the night.

"Home sweet home" Peter says as they enter Ken's home

"It's not home though? Is it?" she snaps heading off upstairs

"At this point I don't know if its hormones or her anxiety" Peter sighs turning to Michelle

"Want me to go?" Michelle asks

"You can try, don't expect miracles" Peter raises his eyebrows

"What miracles?" Carla huffs appearing in the doorway

"Do you want a hug?" Peter offers opening his arms out for her to walk into which she gratefully accepts

"I'm sorry I've been a moody cow" she sighs closing her eyes temporarily

"We understand, what do you want for dinner?" he asks

"I don't really feel too great but maybe a chinese?" she suggests

"Chinese it is" he smiles "Why don't you sit with 'Chelle and I'll nip out and get it?"

"No stay" she replies bluntly

"Ok then we will get a delivery" he says glancing at Michelle who just shrugs, they were obviously thinking to same thing that Carla would become very dependent on them both

"I'm scared" Carla says randomly

"Do you want 'Chelle to read to you? Will that make you feel better?" Peter asks kneeling down in front of her, holding her hands making sure she stays alert to make her feel safe

"Could I have a hot water bottle?" she asks curling up in the corner of the sofa, her fluffy blanket thrown over her

"You not feeling well?" Peter asks handing her the hot water bottle which comforts her and clams her down

"I might just be hungry, where's the food?" she asks with a little smirk on her face while she flicks through the channels on the TV

"It should be here any minute now" Peter says glancing at the clock

"Carla, theres an emergency at the bistro, I need to go" Michelle says glancing down at her phone

"No you can't, I can't do this without you" she cries tears filling her eyes "Can't you get Robert to do it?"

"He's not here darlin, remember? Look I promise I will be back before you go to bed, you will be fine" she says stroking Carla's hair before getting up and leaving "Why don't you have a bite to eat then you can show me some of those holiday snaps?"

"It's not like they're anything interesting, I mean they're all mainly of museums and boring history stuff you won't find interesting" Carla grins

"Ah well you will have to tell me then won't you when I get back" Michelle smiles "Right I will see you later"

"Bye 'Chelle" Peter calls from the kitchen

"Peter?" Carla questions

"Yes love" he replies spooning the food out onto the plates

"What's going to happen?" she asks looking for the reassurance which will settle her paranoia

"What do you mean?" he frowns unsure of what she was referring to

"Like with the baby an' all that, and us" she panics slightly

"Ok well you heard Scott, there was nothing to worry about with your medication and all we need to do is go to the doctors tomorrow to transfer you to the midwife, is there anything you're worried about?"

"Um I think we need to think about practicality's for instance, bringing a baby up in Roy's flat isn't going to be a viable option is it?" she suggests taking a few bites of her food

"I guess not but we don't want you to get too stressed, that's what I worry about" Peter smiles taking her hand hoping she doesn't bit his head off

"Maybe we should think about getting a place of our own?" she suggests playing around with the food on her place which was making her lose her appetite

"Is that what you want?" Peter asks

"Yes I think so, sooner rather than later though" she smiles slightly dipping her head to stare at the food twirling it around on the plate with her fork

"You alright, you've hardly touched that" Peter frowns slightly glacing at her plate while she plays with the food

"I just feel a bit icky, like if I were to eat something I'd bring it back up" she dips her head into her hands

"Do you reckon it's the baby which is causing it?" Peter asks gently in case the subject is still sensitive to her but deep down he was excited at the prospect of Carla carrying his child

"Probably, I usually love a Chinese" she groans

"Right, you get on that sofa and we can cuddle for the rest of the evening maybe you could have some toast or something" Peter suggests gathering the plates and spooning Carla's into one of the plastic containers which he decided would be the 'leftovers' container

"When's 'Chelle coming back?" she asks curling up on the sofa grabbing the blanket which was folded on the arm as well as the remote to look for something to watch

"Do you want me to ring her to see if she can come now?" Peter offers holding his phone up in the air

"Please" she says closing her eyes trying to ignore the fact her stomach was churning

"Here I'll put this here just in case you feel sick" Peter says gesturing to the bucket he was carrying and placing it on the floor, before phoning Michelle "Right she's just closing the bistro she'll be here in a minute or two"

"To be honest I feel vile" Carla sighs snuggling into Peter who recently sat next to her as she leans into his chest closing her eyes

"It's only me" Michelle says entering the house and taking a seat at the table

"'Chelle I feel vile" Carla groans maneuvering herself to face her, putting a hand over her face

"It gets better you just have to bear with it" she smiles running a hand through Carla's hair

"And I have to do this for what? 9 months god help us all"


	4. Chapter 4

"Wakey wakey" Peter says waking Carla gently after carrying her up to bed last night

"Mm morning" she mumbles sleepily

"You feeling alright?" Peter says stroking her hair gently

"Ugh no, gonna be sick" she sighs running to the bathroom to throw up the contents of her stomach Peter following behind her rubbing her back in a supportive manner

"You done?" he asks as she leans against the bath tilting her head back

"I feel like I've been hit by a bus" she exaggerates closing her eyes

"Is there anything you want?" Peter asks laughing at her over-exaggeration

"I'm starving to be honest, but I don't think I could even keep air down right now" she groans rubbing her head

"Ok let's get you some crackers or some cornflakes, something plain" Peter suggests "Get back into bed, I'll get the bucket"

"You're a literal life saver" Carla says standing up "My morning sickness wasn't this bad the last time do you think somethings wrong?" she panics slightly

"We can ask the doctor later can't we? How about I ask Michelle to see if she can come over today maybe she might have some advice for you?" Peter suggests flushing the toilet and grabbing Carla's toothbrush with a generous amount of toothpaste on so she could get rid of the vile taste in her mouth

"Mmm good idea, thanks" she says gesturing to the toothbrush he was holding out for her so she could brush her teeth

"Right I will be back in a moment with some really bland food for you" he grins heading downstairs

* * *

A short while later they were waiting at the medical centre to see the doctor to talk about everything that would happen with Carla and the pregnancy to see if any special recommendations would be needed to get her through. It was around a 30 minute wait before they got called in.

"Hello Carla, I'm Doctor Gaddas what brings you here today?" the doctor asks professionally

"Peter can you explain" she whispers in his ear

"Well Carla took a pregnancy test which came out positive yesterday we were just wondering where we go with all of this?" Peter explains as Doctor Gaddas writes down the notes of the appointment

"Right, I notice you are currently under supervision from a mental health keyworker, is that still in place today?" she asks

"Yes we saw Scott yesterday after I called him because the pregnancy was not planned and it shocked Carla quite a bit" Peter explains

"Peter" Carla hisses hating him for revealing her fears to the doctor

"It's ok, she wants to help" Peter smiles kissing her forehead

"Ok so what I will do is transfer you to the midwife, I'm guessing you spoke about medications with your keyworker?" Doctor Gaddas questions

"Yes we have, he said that they weren't harmful to the baby, will she need extra supervision from midwives considering her miscarriage last time and her mental health" Peter asks

"Yes extra supervision can be taken into account if she feels like she needs it, but if not we can do a regular 12 week scan but if she does want the extra supervision we can bring the scan forward to 10 weeks" The doctor suggests while typing away at on the computer

"10 weeks" Carla whispers in Peter's ear, still hesitant to talk about her feelings with the doctor

"She wants the 10 week one just to reassure her" Peter smiles taking Carla's hand

"Ok then do you have any idea how far along you are?" Doctor Gaddas asks and Carla shakes her head at Peter to hint that she doesn't want to talk

"Why don't you want to talk sweetheart?" Peter asks rubbing her hand and kissing her forehead

"Would you like to write Carla?" Doctor Gaddas suggests holding out a pen and paper, Carla frowns at it before accepting it but doesn't write on it instead turning to Peter to whisper

"Maybe 6 to 8 weeks?" she whispers frowning slightly

"She said maybe 6 to 8 weeks" Peter replies for her

"Alright how about we go for a scan in a three weeks that way we're sorted either way?" the doctor suggests and Carla nods in agreement

"Thank you Doc" Peter smiles gratefully still holding onto Carla hand to help her through this

"Right I think that's me done, enjoy it and don't get too stressed and speak to your keyworker if you have any issues regarding mental health and pregnancy, there will be a letter which should come tomorrow" she smiles holding the door open for them to exit

* * *

They arrived back at Ken's to find Michelle on the doorstep, they invited her in and Peter made some drinks for them all, Carla was annoyed that she couldn't have her coffee but her baby was more important than her caffeine intake.

"So then where have you two been?" Michelle asks trying to muster up conversation

"We've been to the doctors haven't we Car?" Peter glances over to her and she just shrugs in agreement not engaging in the conversation which was taking place which doesn't go unnoticed by Michelle

"Hey, what's happened?" Michelle says nudging Carla gently

"I feel anxious, scared and ill" Carla retorts quietly

"Do you want me to tell her the rest?" Peter questions and Carla nods closing her eyes

"So we told the doctor about the pregnancy and she said we could do a 10 week scan given her history which she wanted so the letter should come tomorrow so we will need to get it from Roy's" Peter explains

"You looking forward to it?" Michelle asks and Carla frowns, confused at what she was going on about

"The scan" she prompts and Carla nods slightly

"Do you want me to read to you?" Peter asks noticing Carla retreating to the corner of the sofa

"Could I have the bucket, just in case?" she asks and Peter goes to get it from where he left it upstairs

"You still feeling rough?" Michelle asks holding her hand

"I hate this" Carla musters tipping her head back in pure exasperation

"Oh Car, it wasn't this bad was it last time?" Michelle reflects

"No I just felt nauseous all the time but now I want to be sick like every two seconds" she groans pulling at her hair

"It's a good thing though, means that baby's growing" Michelle contemplates

"I guess" she sighs

"One bucket and I bought your hot water bottle down as well to fill up if you want it" Peter smiles placing the bucket down on the ground beside Carla

"Why don't you try and get some sleep it might help you feel a bit better" Michelle suggests

"Hm can you stay until I am fully asleep" Carla says snuggling under the blanket which she had draped over her

"Of course, get some sleep" Michelle smiles holding her hand until she drifts off to sleep


	5. Chapter 5

It was a few days later and Carla's morning sickness was at its worse, she could barely keep anything down, there was also the problem of the rest of the family coming home today as Carla would be reluctant to move back to Roy's, Peter didn't want to stress her out with asking her to consider it in case it impacted her mental health so he had to come up with a plan to see if they could put a deposit down on a flat so Carla didn't freak out.

There were so many things going on in their lives right now, Sinead and Daniel for a start and Bertie's wellbeing, they knew that today Sinead was seeing her consultant for a checkup before her next chemo session which means that there is a possibility that if it turned out bad that Carla may struggle to some to terms with it, Peter didn't like thinking like that but that was the stark reality of it and he needed to be there to support her.

"Right we need to talk, I don't want you to freak out or get upset ok?" Peter says holding Carla's hand as she snuggles into him on the sofa

"Go on..." she says seeming a little brighter than she has on previous days

"My dad and Claudia are coming home today so we're going to have to talk about moving back to Roy's or finding a flat nearby but either way we have to get you settled there again" Peter explains

"But he's going to find out, I'm not ready for that" she snaps angrily working herself up before groaning and dropping her head into her hands

"You alright? You've gone rather pale?" Peter says noticing her pale complexion before she heaves into the bucket which was situated beside them

"This is why I don't want to move back there, asking him to keep it a secret, the man hates keeping secrets" she sighs

"You done?" Peter asks and she nods before leaving to empty the bucket before returning to place it beside her

"There's a place in Victoria Court do you have enough to put a deposit on that?" Carla sighs chewing on some gum to help with the nausea

"Let me ring the estate agents, to see if we can rent it?" Peter suggests

"I actually beg you, I think it's about time we had a place of our own" she groans in discomfort

"Guess who's home?" Claudia shouts through the house carrying her suitcase

"Ugh" Carla groans rolling her eyes

"Charming, you ill Carla?" Claudia asks gesturing to the bucket on the floor

"She forgot to take her immunosuppressants for a few days now she's paying the price" Peter grins amazed at his cover story

"Oh right, well I hope you feel better soon" Claudia smiles

"I doubt it will it'll take weeks for me to feel well again, genuinely kicking myself" she mutters

"Hi dad" Peter smiles

"We're meeting Sinead and Daniel here at 1pm, is that ok with everyone?" Ken asks and everyone nods "Peter I don't suppose you could text Tracey could you?"

"Yeah sure" he smiles grabbing his phone

"Peter I'm popping out to see Michelle I won't be long, like an hour or so" Carla says typing a message on her phone

"Alright need me to come with you?" Peter questions

"If you wouldn't mind?" Carla replies, still anxious about going out alone

"Sure come on then" he says holding his hand out for her to take

* * *

They headed off to Michelle's, they sat in the community gardens for a bit to get some fresh air to see if that would improve Carla's sickness at all but she still looked rather pale and in a lot of discomfort.

"Hello you two" Michelle smiles going to make a drink for them both

"Just water for me, ta" Carla replies noticing Michelle putting tea bags into mugs

"You still not feeling good?" Michelle questions handing her a glass of water

"One minute I feel just ill then the next I have a bucket attached to me at all times" she groans

"I'm sure it will improve?" Michelle suggests

"I don't suppose you have any tips do you to make this more bearable" Carla sighs

"Make the right choice 'Chelle, for my sake" Peter retorts

"Oi I'm carrying your child, don't give me that" Carla exclaims

"Sorry, I know I'm just joking with you" Peter laughs bringing her into a hug

"What's the time Peter?" Carla questions taking a sip of her water

"12 so we will need to be thinking about heading back soon" Peter replies checking his phone

"Doing anything nice?" Michelle questions

"We're meeting Daniel and Sinead because they're going to talk to us about their consultation which they are having today, the whole family's attending so we will be required as well" Peter explains

"Oh give them my love won't you?" Michelle smiles

"We better get going" Carla says grabbing her bag

* * *

They arrived at Ken's 10 minutes before the rest of the family were due to ensure Carla felt ok. Both Carla and Peter were curled up on an armchair in the corner of the room. Peter could see that Carla was trying to fight her discomfort and she was doing a rather good job at it, she was about to drift off to sleep before Daniel and Sinead walked in with Bertie in the pram their faces covered with pain they could both immediately sense that something was up.

"So we went to the hospital for our check-up before chemo tomorrow as they ran blood tests before" he says glancing at Sinead who was holding Bertie on the sofa

"It's weeks not months, we've stopped treatment" Sinead states, cutting straight to the point bouncing Bertie up and down on her knee

"What so there's nothing they can do?" Claudia questions and the couple just nod

"It's just a waiting game, I know that sounds harsh but that's the reality" Sinead snaps "Sorry, I'm tired"

"We better head back, that's all we have to say really" Daniel says putting Bertie into the pram

"Take care" Ken says

"Poor Sinead" Claudia sighs "We don't have a lot of luck do we?"

"You alright?" Peter whispers to Carla

"I'm hungry" she says

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat at the bistro?" Peter suggests

"Alright, maybe 'Chelle could join us?" Carla suggests

"Dad we're just popping out for a bit" Peter says

"Alright" he smiles slightly

* * *

Both of them head off to the bistro hoping Michelle can make an exception so they didn't have to book a table in advance. Peter wanted to speak to Carla about how she was feeling given Sinead's circumstances but she probably would've snapped and got herself works up more than usual if she was pushed to talk so Peter decided not to pursue the case, in case this caused her unnecessary stress which she didn't need considering her condition. They arrived at the bistro and Michelle immediately went over to hug her best friend as she could sense that they have just received bad news.

"Come on let's take a seat" Michelle says guiding her to a table in the far corner "Can I get you guys a drink?"

"Water please" Carla responds

"I'll have an orange juice" Peter smiles

"Any food?" Michelle asks hesitantly

"Anything that's something bland-ish" Carla replies

"I'll see what I can do, you two just chill" she smiles

"You still look pale" Peter states

"We need to pick that letter up from Roy's as I forgot to do it" Carla sighs taking a drink of her water

"Here you are" Michelle says putting a plate on the table for Carla

"What is it?" she asks grabbing a fork

"Basically it's just chicken stuffed with mozzarella with some vegetables, I didn't know if you wanted them roasted so I just did them plain" Michelle replies proud of her makeshift meal she came up with

"Hardly upmarket enough for this bistro, I'm surprise you have this sort of meal here" Carla raises her eyebrows

"Oh shut it you, if you don't want it…" Michelle trails off

"No I do, I'm starving" Carla says cutting up the chicken and putting it on her fork "Do you want some Peter?"

"I'm alright, love" Peter frowns

"Take some" Carla says shoving the fork in his face

"Your needs greater than mine" he laughs

"Such a gent" she rolls her eyes

"Excuse me a minute" Peter says as his phone rings

"Typical" Carla tuts receiving a glare off Peter before eating the rest of her meal "Thank you 'Chelle that was lovely except it'll probably end up in the sick bucket when I get back but either way thanks"

"Your welcome" she laughs

"Right I have some news for you" Peter says

"Oh god what is it now? You've been upgraded to the switch at streetcars?" Carla retorts cheekily

"No, that flat in Victoria Court has no residents in it which means we could move in there as soon as possible if you're up for it" Peter smiles

"Really? How soon though?" Carla questions

"Towards the end of this week" Peter smiles

"Go for it" Carla grins taking a sip of her water

"You sure?" Peter confirms

"Yes I'm sure we're going to need a place either way" she shrugs

"Right we need to go pick up that letter you forgot to collect" Peter huffs taking Carla's hand

* * *

They walk to Roy's taking their time because there was no rush and Roy would probably be busy serving customers anyway. They take a seat outside Audrey's salon for a bit to reflect on the day.

"Do you reckon Daniel will be alright?" Carla questions nuzzling into Peter

"All we have to be concerned about is when he presses the self-destruct button and to try and find the signs of when he's struggling so we can help him" Peter replies stroking Carla's hair

"Like what do you do when you find out you have weeks to live? You don't think about it really do you?" Carla sighs

"That's why we have to live everyday like it counts" Peter says kissing her head gently


	6. Chapter 6

_**Another update as I was supposed to update yesterday but didn't get around to do it, hope you enjoy :)**_

* * *

Carla and Peter headed off to Roy's later that evening, when Carla saw Roy she decided to tell him about her pregnancy just so that she could stay there over night as she didn't have much choice. Peter decided to stay with his dad and Claudia given the news that they all received about Sinead as he thought that they needed to come together as a family but he promised Carla that he would be back before she wakes up in the morning so he could help her through another round of morning sickness which she was bound to have. They had another meeting with Scott today as he decided he wanted to see them weekly again instead of fortnightly considering Carla's pregnancy, to Carla this felt like she was taking a step back rather than forward but she accepted it anyway and tried to enjoy the wonderful world of pregnancy even though she was either sleeping, being sick or moaning the whole time.

"One croissant for you, courtesy of Roy" Peter grins waking Carla up gently, her eyes fluttering open as she gages her surroundings before smelling the vile smell of the freshly baked croissant which Peter probably stole off Roy

"Get that away from me otherwise you will be covered with the contents of my stomach" Carla warns closing her eyes trying to fight the ongoing battle of nausea deep in her stomach

"Well croissants are out of the question then" he mutters placing the croissant on the desk which was on the far opposite corner of the room, far away from Carla so nothing would set off her morning sickness

"What time's Scott coming?" Carla questions shuffling back towards the wall, tapping the bed beside her so Peter could slide into bed with her, along with a cheeky grin, she loved acting childish at times, it removed all feelings of anxiety as if she could revert back into a child-like state to feel invincible

"Not till mid-afternoon" Peter says kissing her forehead sliding in beside her and holding her close to him

"We need to pack my clothes up if we're going to move" Carla groans knowing that she wouldn't be aloud to pack clothes because of her condition, she accepted it either way as well as the churning in her stomach becoming prominent

"Do you need to be sick?" Peter questions moving his hand to her stomach rubbing it gently trying to help ease the discomfort she was having, she closed her eyes trying to block everything out and just focus on everything other than being sick.

"I'm alright I just feel nauseous, that's helping though so you can carry on" she smiles slightly getting come relief from Peter's motions

"When's that scan again just so I know I can get the time off" Peter asks still rubbing Carla's stomach

"6th November" she replies, knowing it off the top og her head, she didn't like to admit being excited but she was

"You nervous?" Peter questions carefully knowing that she could throw up her defences at any point and push him away

"A bit but also excited, god I'm going to be so big" she groans at the thought

"But think about what you get out of it" Peter replies trying to reassure her that he was with her every step of the way, unlike last time

"A baby, a real life baby depending on me god help him or her" Carla laughs slightly, internally petrified that something so innocent would choose to depend on her

"What do you reckon it is?" Peter asks kissing her forehead

"Well I mean if I were to go off my last pregnancy, maybe a boy because this ones very different" Carla frowns "What do you think it is?"

"I'm going with girl" Peter smiles at the prospect of having a daughter to dote on

"Hm I guess it's kinda hard for you to guess because you're not going through it" she laughs

"Right, do you want me to start packing your suitcases?" Peter suggests sliding out of bed noticing she was feeling a bit better

"Hm you can make a start I guess, make sure you fold them properly and colour coordinate them" she smirks, picking up a magazine which was on her bed side table

"You're kidding right? As if I'm colour coordinating them" he scoffs getting the suitcases off the top of the wardrobe almost falling over in the process which Carla smirks at

"Nope, don't worry I will be here making sure you do it right" she grins taking a sip of her water trying to muffle her laughs

"How do I do this then?" Peter questions opening the wardrobe, staring at all the clothes which were hanged, not in colour coordinated order, an extra challenge for him

"What do you mean?" Carla laughs incredulously peering over the top of the magazine, an eyebrow raised

"How do I know how to organise these clothes, they're mainly black or grey some whites thrown in for good measure" he retorts confused

"You not impressed with my colour palette?" Carla frowns

"No I want you to wear a bright pink dress" he replies sarcastically knowing the response he would get, smirking in the process

"I would rather be seen dead then wear a bright pink dress, seriously if this baby is a girl and it's obsessed with pink I think I may have a fit" Carla exclaims

"Stop being so overdramatic, there's no way you will be dressing a baby in black" Peter laughs knowing she probably would if she could

"I would if I could but I doubt there will be many black baby clothes" she laughs

"Ok enough of that but seriously how do I do this" Peter worries

"Just do what you think is right" she grins enjoying the worry that Peter was experiencing as it was something anyone should be able to do

"You don't like to make this easy do you?" he laughs frowning picking out a hanger from the wardrobe

"Nope I don't"

* * *

After a few hours of packing Carla's clothes they decided to chill and watch some TV in Roy's flat until Scott arrived for his weekly review, they used to be fornightly but considering Carla's pregnancy he decided to increase the visits again as her medicaiton needed to be monitored more carefully. Carla wanted Michelle there to support her so that she didn't feel pressurised into answering questions she didn't want to answer.

"Hi Carla, Peter I hope you don't mind but Roy let me up" Scott smiles

"Hiya Scott we're just waiting for Michelle she should be here any minute now" Peter smiles manoeuvring Carla who had just about fallen asleep on him, mentally cursing Scott for his timing as Carla was looking rather peaceful laying in his arms as he stroke her hair, trying to make her feel safe

"No problem" he smiles placing his briefcase on the floor beside the armchair he was sitting on

"Sorry I'm late, Robert was being incapable" Michelle huffs annoyed but quickly realised it wasn't the time to go into her problems

"Right shall we get started" Scott suggests getting his pen out poise to write on the notepad which was on his lap

"Peter?" Carla whispers apprehensively, not wanting to talk

"What, love?" Peter says kissing her forehead

"I don't" she states quietly shaking her head hoping Peter got the message which he did

"Why don't you want to speak?" Peter questions and she just shakes her head refusing to speak

"Carla, why don't you want to speak?" Scott questions instead to see if being more direct would help settle Carla

"I think she's just anxious about that you're going to say" Peter answers for her hoping he got the answer right without putting words into her mouth

"Carla you don't need to be anxious around me I'm here to work with you to find a solution to any problems you may be having not to work against you" Scott reassures her as Peter glances down to Carla still shaking her head

"I'm sorry Scott I don't think she's going to speak" Peter replies apologetically unsure of what the outcome of this meeting would be

"Ok well have you seen an improvement in Carla's anxiety since we increased her medication?" Scott asks

"I would say so it's taken a while but I think she's feeling much better now, it's just being around people who she doesn't feel entirely comfortable with, but with me and Michelle she's her cheeky self" Peter replies kissing Carla's forehead

"I could see a change too, she seems more alert I guess but out in public she seems a little apprehensive still, more quieter than usual" Michelle chips in expressing her views on the current situation

"That's good that's what we want to see, there is a chance that we may need to increase it again further along in the pregnancy but we will see how she goes" Scott smiles siting notes on the note pad ready to update them electronically later

"Do we need to tell the midwife anything when we go for the scan?" Peter questions

"it might be worth telling the midwife that shes still under supervision from a mental health keyworker, otherwise I don't think that there's anything to tell them because they should be able to access her notes that I update anyway. When is her scan?"

"6th November" Peter replies remembering the date off the top of his head, excitement brewing beneath

"Let me take a note of that to make sure I have fully updated her notes before then" Scott smiles writing it down on the notepad and highlighting it, presumably one of the more important issues in the notes

"Thanks Scott" Peter says gratefully

"Ok that's me done I will show myself out and I will see you next week hopefully she will want to talk, it may still take some time for the increased dosage of medication to work but if she doesn't speak by then we may have to think about other coping strategies" Scott says before getting up and letting himself out

"You wanna talk now?" Peter asks Carla who was resting on his chest, she looked up at him her eyes teary and confusion present in them

"I'm sorry for not talking" Carla replies apologetically as a tear falls down her cheek, Peter wipes it away hoping to see her smile but he just got a sullen look from her

"Hey you have nothing to be sorry for ok? Scott understands alright" Peter says kissing her forehead hoping to provide comfort to the situation she felt so horribly about

"How about I nip back to the bistro to get some food for you both and you can both have a lazy day, how about that?" Michelle suggests feeling like they both needed some time to talk to each other alone without her being present

"Hm alright, could I have that chicken mozzarella thing again?" Carla asks trying to tick off all the foods which make her feel nauseous in her head before settling on what she had yesterday as a safe bet

"Sure, Peter?" Michelle asks making a mental note of the orders

"Maybe a steak, with chips" he smiles trying to think of something plain so Carla wouldn't feel so uneasy on her stomach

"Alright give me 30 minutes to an hour then it will probably be ready" Michelle says before leaving the room

"I need to pop by the estate agent in an hour or so to get those keys" Peter says kissing her head trying to distract her from the unpleasant meeting she had from Scott

"Can I come?" Carla asks hopeful to get out of the flat

"I don't want you over doing it and getting stressed out" Peter replies carefully hoping that she wouldn't snap

"We'll need to go shopping as well" Carla beams excited at the prospect which made her eyes sparkle, a stark contrast of what they looked like 10 minutes before

"Can't you take Michelle or something?" Peter questions reluctant to go shopping

"I think you deserve to come with me considering I'm carrying your child" Carla teases knowing that he would be guilt tripped into going shopping

"Ok fine, but you're not carrying anything, I don't want to run any risks" Peter scolds her gently tapping her nose as she grins at him

"Fine as long as we get to go shopping that's all that matters" she grins excited at the prospect

"I don't even think it's this pregnancy which is turning you into a shopping freak" Peter retorts cheekily

"Oi! I have you know I don't have an obsession with shopping" she exclaims

"I beg to differ, those boots you had an obsession with speak for themselves"

* * *

A while later they both decided to go for a walk around the Red rec as Carla was feeling up to it considering she had been cooped up in the flat for a day now. Peter bought her a flask with some tea in it to keep her warm whilst they went for a walk to stretch their legs.

"I wonder how Johnny's going to take it" Carla sighs linking her arm through Peters as they walk around the lake which was in the centre of the park

"I'm sure he will be fine, he'll probably be more excited to be honest than annoyed" Peter suggests trying to make light of the situation to stop her from worrying

"Hm I don't know though I mean he doesn't know about the previous miscarriage, he could've had a granddaughter" Carla sighs emotionally going into a dark place in her mind which she really didn't need right now

"I'm sorry" Peter says mentally berating himself from showing her his emotions when all he should be concerned about is how she's feeling

"Don't Peter, we don't play the blame game remember" Carla replies unwilling to continue with the emotional conversation Peter started

"Maybe you should tell him we're moving tomorrow" Peter suggests "Have a father daughter day while me and Si go out"

"Hmm I guess we could have a drink together" she contemplates thinking that it would do her good getting out of the flat for a bit to socialise with other people other than Peter or Michelle

"How are you feeling anyway, emotions wise" Peter asks gently knowing that she could snap at any point but he needed to know for his sake

"Probably a 5 maybe 6" she contemplates thinking hard about every emotion she has ever felt in her head

"And how are you feeling physically" Peter smiles bringing her into a hug noticing she was thinking about her emotions

"I feel less sick, hopefully its easing off now the last few days have been unbearable" she groans thinking back to the feelings of nausea she was having

"Oh Si's just texted saying and I quote 'dad you technophobe answer your phone'" Peter says raising his eyebrows and Carla laughs

"Look we have all that to come" she exclaims somewhat excitedly which shocked Peter but he tried to hid his excitement so he didn't embarrass her

"Oh he wants to meet me at his at 9am tomorrow as he has to be back by 12 to go to a party, I was hoping to get him to help me move your suitcases" Peter sighs

"You go, I'll be fine" Carla replies confidently

"I don't know Car…" Peter trails off thinking back to the previous mornings when she's struggled without her

"Look the worse that's going to happen is I'm going to be sick a few times then it will probably stop, it might not even happen ok, so go and have fun with your son" Carla smiles patting his chest

"Ok you must call me if you're not coping and that's a promise" he says

"I promise"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Was good to see my fave back on screen tonight, hopefully I can try to incorporate some more of those scenes :)**_

* * *

It was the next day and Peter was getting ready to go out with Simon for the day, he was apprehensive about leaving Carla alone to cope on her own but he knew she would tell him to go anyway. Carla was waking from her sleep only to find that the smell of smoked bacon was wafting through the flat, Roy was obviously making breakfast for himself. She got up and bolted to the bathroom to throw up.

"Carla?" Roy questions after heairing her scurry to the bathroom

"It's fine Roy just eat your breakfast" Carla groans before chucking her guts up again

"Do I need to ring Peter?" Roy asks

"No he's out with Si" she sighs falling back to lean against the bath

"Can I ring Michelle I don't think you should be alone coping with this" Roy replies concerned

"Do whatever" she snaps angrily

* * *

Roy decided to ring Michelle to ask her to come around to deal with Carla which she agreed to do. Michelle arrived about an hour later, Carla was still in the bathroom looking paler than she ever has before, she was starting to think something was wrong but she just pushed it to the back of her mind which was probably a bad idea considering her emotions have been all over the place.

"Carla it's 'Chelle" Michelle says by the door before Carla opens it, an unamused expression on her face

"Oh wow you look like death warmed up" Michelle says concerned for her friend as she slumps back down onto the floor leaning her back against the bath tub before heaving into the toilet again

"It hurts" Carla cries grabbing onto her chest trying to dull the pain as Michelle scoops her hair up into a pony tail to avoid it from being the way

"Any idea what set it off?" Michelle asks carefully trying not to provoke her to vomit more

"The bacon I think, I'm going to be sick again" she gasps throwing up some more, even the word 'bacon' was getting to her, Michelle found it quite funny because Carla used to tease her about being sick all the time when she was pregnant

"I think we should ring Peter darling" Michelle sighs rubbing Carla's back affectionately trying to reduce the nausea she was experiencing as well as the comfort Carla would need in the situation

"No you can't he's out with Si, I don't want to ruin their day" Carla groans tilting her head back knowing that she needed Peter here to help her with, she didn't want to feel selfish

"Why don't I see if there's any digestives in the cupboard or some bread to see if we can settle your stomach a bit?" Michelle suggests and Carla just nods

"Here" Michelle gives Carla the packet of digestives she takes a bite, they sit in silence for a bit, while later she throws them up again annoyed that she couldn't keep anything down

"Ring Peter I can't cope any more" she says trying to hold in her emotions to make herself look strong but tears trickle down her face after trying so hard to keep up the facade

"Oh Carla don't cry" Michelle says stroking her hair to comfort her before getting her phone out to ring Peter

"My chest feelings like its burning" she gasps as the burning sensation spreads from her stomach to her throat

"Maybe we should get you to a doctor or something?" Michelle suggests

"I want Peter" she sobs into her hands annoyed that she can't do this on her own

"Ok it's ringing, hold on in there" Michelle says stroking her hair "Peter…Hi… It's Carla… Her sickness is really bad she's resulted in tears… Hm yeah just try and get here as soon as you can…alright see you in a bit"

"When's he coming?" she her voice croaky from the acidic substances travelling through her throat

"Soon darling he's just got to drive back ok?" Michelle smiles holding Carla's hand as she leans her head against Michelle's shoulder, closing her eyes trying to think of other things to reduce the nausea in case it was her mind playing tricks on her

"Could you get me a hot water bottle? Its hanging on the back of the bedroom door" Carla replies her head still tilted back as Michelle leaves to fill up the hot water bottle

"Here you are" Michelle says passing it to Carla

"Ta" she replies quietly placing the hot water bottle on her stomach "Why is it so bad?"

"I don't know, I'm not a midwife, you could have that thing like extreme morning sickness, it has a technical name or you could have two in there, maybe three" Michelle suggests

"Oh god don't joke about that, there's the small matter of it being too extreme for my liking, I was ok yesterday" Carla moans clutching the hot water tightly against her stomach which was helping to settle it

"Like when I was pregnant it was that margarine stuff that set it off" Michelle starts before Carla's throwing up again getting increasingly annoyed that she was spending half the day in the bathroom when she could be packing

"Are you trying to kill me?" Carla retorts annoyed

"Sorry" Michelle replies with a grin

"Carla?" Peter calls searching the house to find them

"We're in the bathroom" Michelle shouts as Carla covers her ears

"Oh wow you don't look good" Peter says kneeling in front of her kissing her forehead "You smell of vomit"

"Great" she mutters "I'm sorry for ruining your day"

"You didn't ruin anything ok?" Peter reassures her to make sure she feels like it isn't her fault

"This is killing me Peter I don't think I can do this much longer, this is the worst it's ever been" she cries

"Maybe we should go to the doctors? Peter suggests stroking her hair trying to comfort her

"I don't even think I can walk Peter" Carla groans "Oh we're meant to be moving as well"

"Don't you worry about that, I'm sure me and 'Chelle can move the cases" Peter smiles

"I'll take one back with me now, do you have the keys?" Michelle asks Peter and he hands them to her taking Michelle's position on the floor beside Carla

"Come on let's get you back into bed" Peter says picking up Carla and walking through the flat with her in his arms before placing her into bed

"Stay" Carla mumbles trying to snuggle into bed

"Always" he slides in beside her an arm draped over her frame rubbing her stomach gently, trying to settle it hoping he can provide some relief for her

"Can we stay like this forever?" she questions moving so she's sat in between his legs her back against his chest

"Always" he smiles "you're getting a bump" Peter whispers pulling her shirt up to rub her stomach gently

"I didn't even notice, well to be fair I don't really know how far along I am exactly" she says placing her hand on top of his copying his movements

"I noticed yesterday but I didn't want to mention anything in case you felt insecure about it" Peter replies ensuring that she was strong enough and in the right frame of mind to continue with the conversation

"Thank you"

"For what?"

"For being so caring and kind and just genuinely lovely and taking my emotions into account" she says lifting his hand up to her lips kissing them

"This baby is going to be so lucky to have you as a mother you know that" Peter says kissing her head trying to reassure her of any fears she may have about motherhood

"I don't think so, but I will take it into consideration" she smiles slightly

"You might be needing to get out the leggings soom" Peter suggests raising his eyebrows

"I only own like 2 pairs" she sighs grabbing Peters hand to her stomach as he rubs it again

"Well that's a Christmas present sorted" he replies

"Is that my Christmas present sorted then? Pair of leggings?" she retorts

"Oh trust me I will be spoiling you rotten at Christmas" Peter grins trying to think of all the ways he could spoil Carla rotten

"I'll be like 5 months by then or something" she smiles slightly thinking about it, she was genuinely excited but didn't like to show it

"Lets take it a day at a time and try not to get too overwhelmed alright?" Peter suggests and she nods

"I'm meant to be meeting Johnny in the new flat at 3" she sighs "I need to get dressed"

"You feeling better then?" Peter asks as she clambers over him to get some clothes out of the cupboard

"I guess" she shrugs "could do with some food though"

"Right you get ready I will make some food for you"

* * *

A while later they were walking to the new flat to meet Johnny, Peter made sure that Carla was with him in case she felt ill. Carla was under strict instructions to sit on the sofa and not move which really annoyed her because she wanted to be up doing things and making the flat more homely as Peter would be incapable of doing that. They both waited for Johnny to come, hopefully he wouldn't bring Jenny because it was one more person to keep her pregnancy a secret from, not that it would probably be a secret for much longer.

"Hi Carla" Johnny says entering the flat after being let in by Peter

"Hi" she smiles

"I bought you a house warming gift" Johnny says gesturing to the candle he was holding, he was excited that his final child was settled

"What flavour is that" Carla sighs closing her eyes her stomach churning as she tries to fight the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach

"Cinnamon and spice" he beams excited at his house warming gift

"I don't suppose you could give it to Peter could you?" Carla asks as Johnny places it on the kitchen counter, Peter laughs as Carla glares at him

"So what are you going to do decorating-wise" Johnny responds

"Hmm I don't know really it is pretty bare, but we can't paint the walls because we're renting" she shrugs

"If you don't mind me saying you do look rather pale" Johnny replies, concerned for his daughters health

"Yeah I forgot to take my immunosuppressants for a few days so I've not been feeling too well" she sighs annoyed everyone kept noticing her pale complexion and that her pregnancy was getting hard to hide

"You know you should be taking your meds, was Peter not there to remind you?" Johnny panics slightly cutting to the point where he was blaming Peter which Carla wasn't happy about but she let it slide trying not to snap

"I guess we were just having a lot of fun in Venice" she shrugs trying to blag her way out of this conversation

"Anyway why did you come home early?" he interrogates as Carla was getting increasingly annoyed at him bringing her to the point where she might snap

"It really doesn't matter Johnny" she finally snaps receiving a glare off Peter

"I just worry because last time you bottled things up then they got out of hand" he sighs trying to be supportive but he knew Carla could be deflective when she was looking for ulterior motives

"I'm fine, I've got Peter so you don't need to worry" she smiles at him trying to get him to stop asking questions she wasn't willing to answer

"Maybe we could all go out for a meal sometime, family only?" he suggests trying to make light of the situation

"Yeah I guess" she shrugs having no opinion on the matter

"Just think about it?" Johnny asks hoping he could do a speech

"Ok fine"

* * *

About an hour Later Johnny left Carla to it as she wasn't really in the mood for talking, she was tired grumpy and hormonal her moods were changing rapidly by the second so everyone was on tenterhooks with her not knowing what to say. She went into the bathroom to get changed into one of Peters t-shirts she liked to wear but when she caught a look at herself in the mirror she almost burst into tears as the reality of her situation finally hit home.

"Peter!" she shouts

"What? What's happened?" he panics, thinking the worse until he reached the bathroom and went in

"Look" she says pointing to her stomach, it was ever so slightly rounded, her hand shaky as she moves it over her stomach

"God you scared me, I thought something happened" Peter sighs running a hand through his hair

"I don't know if I can do this, Peter" she panics, stressing herself out, pulling at her hair

"Ok let's calm down alright" he says holding her either side of her shoulders

"No, no, Peter I'm scared I cant do this" she shakes her head as tears fall down her cheeks

"Carla listen to me ok? I'm here alright I won't let anything happen to you alright" Peter tries to reassure her "Let's move shall we because being in here is freaking you out" he says leading her into the bedroom

"Peter hold me" Carla sobs as Peter wraps his arms around her frame holding her close to him

"Can I put you to bed you're obviously tired" Peter says stroking her hair as he watches her eyes close, heavy from tiredness

"Please stay with me and don't leave me" she begs grasping onto his neck as she begins to sob again, her breathing irregular

"Carla can I ring Michelle to help?" Peter asks struggling to keep Carla in control, she nods in agreement as Carla gets up to sit in the corner of the room as Peter grabs his phone which was on the bedside table

"Hi 'Chelle…yeah it's Carla I need your help…Ok thank you so much I owe you one" Peter replies putting the phone down where Carla could see it

"I came as soon as I could" Michelle says entering the bedroom after she let herself into the flat

"Carla you're safe here ok" Peter says to reassure her as she continues to cry trying not to go too close in case she feels threatened or scared

"Hey, you" Michelle says taking a seat next to Carla on the floor "What happened?"

"I was getting dressed and then I looked at my stomach then I freaked out" she explains tearfully without going into an in depth explanation hoping Michelle would understand which she does

"Oh darling, I really think you should move to somewhere more comfier because being propped up against this wall isn't going to help you" Michelle explains carefully trying not to spook Carla by being too forceful using a calming tone to her voice

"No" Carla replies quietly grabbing Michelle's hand making sure she stays where she is

"Ok we'll stay here" Michelle smiles trying to remain in control of the situation glancing to Peter who was contemplating ringing Scott

"'Chelle I'm scared" Carla whispers

"What about?" Michelle asks as Peter leaves the room presumably to ring Scott

"It's real 'Chelle" Carla sobs quietly

"What is darling?" Michelle questions confused at what Carla was implying

"The baby, it didn't sink in properly until when I looked in that mirror, it depends on me I don't know if I can do this" Carla cries still grabbing onto Michelle's hand with all the strength she has

"Come here" Michelle says enveloping Carla in a hug "Shh you're ok"

"I'm just going to place this bucket here just in case she doesn't want to move, Scott said I needed to give her some food because he's bringing some different medication which may work better with her pregnancy" Peter explains placing the bucket on the floor and a plate with a slice of toast on in front of her

"Peter?" Carla whispers

"Yes love?" Peter smiles

"Sit with me" Carla says grasping onto his hand as he sits down next to her, she immediately shuffles onto his lap so he can hold her close

"I need you to eat that toast" Peter smiles grabbing it off the plate and holding it to her mouth as she grasps onto his neck, the buzzer went off and spooked her

"That'll be Scott" Michelle says leaving the room to answer the door

"Hi Carla" Scott smiles kneeling down on the floor beside them both, Peter feeding Carla the piece of toast, she stops when Scott enters the room

"Hi" she whispers apprehensively unsure if she wants to talk or not mustering up the confidence to continue

"I hear you're struggling a bit, want to talk about it?" Scott offers because he knows that sometimes it's better for her to have other people to talk to

"I freaked out, it was stupid, please don't send me back" she panics slightly thinking about the worst possible outcome of the situation

"Carla we will not send you back not unless you are a danger to yourself or others. What did you freak out about then?" Scott questions and she just breaks down in tears grasping onto Peters neck and burying her head in his chest

"Shhh, you're ok I'm here" Peter says rubbing her back gently as she sobs into his chest hysterically, he glances at Scott trying to work out what was going on in her head and his for that matter

"Carla, do you want Peter to read to you?" Scott asks

"Michelle can you get her book out the drawer" Peter asks as Michelle gets the book and hands it to him where he begins reading from where they left off before sitting down beside Peter

"Shh you're ok" Michelle says leaning over to kiss her head and Carla reaches out to hold her hand

"I'm just going to sit in the chair there and watch until she's ready" Scott smiles going to sit in the seat

"Peter?" Carla whispers and he stops reading

"You ok?" he replies

"No can I have my blanket" she replies her breathing still quite irregular

"I'll get it " Michelle says leaving the room

"Do you want anything else?" Peter asks manoeuvring her to make her more comfortable and to stop his dead leg

"Hot water bottle" she whispers as Michelle returns with the blanket and drapes it over them both

"Could you get her a hot water bottle as well?" Peter turns to Michelle

"Alright where is it?" Michelle asks glancing around the room to see if she can find it

"In the bathroom" Peter replies

"Ta" Michelle replies leaving the room

"Carla do you reckon if we ran a bath for you, would that help you calm down?" Scott says kneeling down to their level but Carla still shakes her head

"Would you like me to sit with you? Whilst you have a bath?" Peter offers stroking her hair whilst she leans into him

"Ok" she replies quietly

"One hot water bottle, sorry it took a bit longer than expected" Michelle says quietly as she hands Carla the hot water bottle before sitting on the floor beside her

"Do you want to sit with 'Chelle so I can run your bath?" Peter questions as she shuffles over to Michelle and sits in between her legs as Peter drapes the blanket over her again before leaving to run the bath, the sound of the water running making Carla jump

"Hey" Michelle whispers kissing her head

"Hi" Carla replies closing her eyes

"You feeling ok?" Michelle questions to gage a reaction

"Do I look ok to you?" she snaps

"Is your stomach ok?" Michelle questions presuming she felt bit sick which is why she wanted the hot water bottle

"The hot water bottles helping" Carla replies her eyes still closed

"Carla, do you reckon you could take one of these for me, it might make you feel better?" Scott says giving her a tablet to take deciding she was calm enough to contemplate taking it

"What is it?" she questions curiously

"It might make you feel a little calmer, help reduce your anxiety a bit" Scott replies truthfully but she narrows her eyes at him trying to convince her mind that he wasn't one of the bad guys and using the tips she learnt from being in Carlisle

"Ok" she frowns swallowing down the tablet with the bottle of water which was on the floor

"Your bath's ready" Peter smiles appearing at the door holding his hand out for her to take

"Can you stay with me?" Carla pleads uncomfortable with being left alone as they walk to the bathroom

"Of course, I won't leave you" Peter reassures her as she steps into the bath tub letting the warm water envelope her

"This is nice" she smiles slightly her body relaxing under the heat of the water

"Is it making you feel calm?" Peter questions and she nods "Good that's what we want, did Scott give you some medication?"

"Yeah its making me feel tired" she sighs her eyes getting increasingly heavy

"Do you want me to get you some pyjamas?" Peter offers

"Yes please" she smiles as he leaves the room to collect them

"These alright?" Peter asks holing out a pair of long sleeved pyjamas and a fluffy hoody

"They're fine" she says getting up to get out of the bath and she just freezes looking in the mirror and gulping

"You alright?" Peter asks carefully knowing she was looking at herself in the mirror

"Look" she smiles running her hand over stomach, looking up at Peter

"I know, are you happy now?" he asks carefully and quietly ensuring he doesn't spook her

"Yeah look" she smirks grabbing his hand placing it on her stomach "That's our baby"

"I love you so much, you know"

"I know you do"


	8. Chapter 8

After last nights panic attack Peter decided that he wasn't going to push Carla to do anything she didn't want to do today only to be both summoned by Ken, he knew Carla wouldn't really feel like going out today but there was no way Peter was going to let her stay in the flat on her own and work herself up but he also didn't want to let his dad down considering if it was something to do with Sinead and Daniel as they had such little time together.

"Hi" Carla smiles up at him where she was resting on his chest

"You feeling alright?" he asks moving his hand down to her stomach to slowly ease her nausea

"I hate this" she groans uncomfortably hinting for Peter to rub her stomach more

"I know you do" Peter sighs kissing her forehead wishing he could take her discomfort away

"Look I have something to tell you ok, I don't want you to feel pressured in any way but we've both been summoned to my dad's for the day, something to do with Sinead, I don't have to go but I'm kind of being pressurised" Peter explains the situation carefully to make sure she fully understands

"I don't know" Carla looks up at him from where she was resting on his chest, the fear setting in

"Ok let me rephrase, would you like to go?" Peter questions gently still rubbing her stomach pulling her onto his body

"Kind of, yeah I'm just worried in case I panic" she sighs closing her eyes thinking of all the things which would go wrong which was increasing her stress levels

"Ok, well what if we go for an hour or so, see how you go?" he suggests trying to incorporate some of things she wants to do to make her feel better

"Ok I guess I better get ready" she smiles slightly climbing over him to get out of bed

"Come on then, I'll make you some breakfast, any requests?"

"Um nothing to heavy, something light maybe a couple of slices of toast no butter maybe jam, oh you can add some scrambled eggs onto that"

"Ew scrambled eggs on toast with jam?" Peter replies confused at her food choices

"I don't want it, the baby does"

"If you insist" he laughs leaving the room

"What to wear, what to wear" Carla mumbles to herself going through her wardrobe chucking possible outfits onto the bed, she settles on a red top with a pair of black jeans she slides them on

"Ugh, Peter!"

"What's happened now?" Peter sighs noticing she's struggling to do up her jeans

"They don't fit" she huffs clearly annoyed that her choice of outfit doesn't fit her anymore

"Ok wear some leggings" he suggests

"Peter, this top does not go with leggings" she recites clearly annoyed that he doesn't understand women's fashion

"Looks fine to me" he says cautiously knowing that he could be murdered with words in an instance

"Peter it does not look fine" she huffs annoyed that he could even suggest that

"Ok well why don't you wear a skirt instead, that black one there would look nice with that red top" Peter suggests holding it up

"Hm ok let me try it" she says sliding it on while Peter eyes her up, she smirks knowing the effect she's having on him

"It'll do" she shrugs as they walk out the bedroom to have a bite to eat before they head off to Ken's

"Any clue why we've been summoned?" Carla questions tucking into her concoction of a breakfast which she seems to be enjoying

"No, but I'm sure we will soon find out" Peter grins wondering what the day ahead involves

"Can we get rid of that candle?" she groans pointing to the one Johnny dropped by yesterday, the cinnamon threating to set off her morning sickness

"Surely you can't feel sick because of candle?" Peter tries to say seriously but Carla isn't fooled as his cheeks twitch into a smile

"It's the cinnamon I think" she huffs, dipping her head into her hands before running to the bathroom to throw up Peter following her to hold her hair up

"You done?" Peter smirks clearly finding Carla's discomfort amusing

"That was a pointless breakfast" she groans dipping her head into her hands

"Want to finish it?"

"I will as long as you put that candle away"

"Alright, its all gone" he says returning to the bathroom

"Right let's finish this and get going"

* * *

About an hour later they were walking down to Ken's house where they were told to meet everyone. They had no clue what was going on but Peter hope that this wouldn't set off another one of Carla's panic attacks or that it would force her to bottle things up. Peter pulled her aside before they entered to have a chat and to think of a plan if things got too much.

"Ok so if you feel uneasy or anything tell me" he smiles kissing her forehead to ensure that she feels safe and so she knows to talk to him if she feels uneasy

"But how will you make an excuse?" Carla questions panicking slightly at trying to find an excuse

"I may just have to be honest, I'm sorry" he apologises struggling to find an answer to Carla's very serious question

"I don't want people knowing my issues Peter" Carla huffs annoyed that he would even suggest telling the truth when they previously agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone

"Look if I can think of something off the top of my head I will" Peter promises holding her hands and pulling her into an embrace

"Ok then, let's go" Carla says as Peter unlocks the door

"Um what's with the Christmas music?" Peter questions entering the house Carla following behind him clutching onto his hand for dear life

"It's Christmas!" Kirk shouts making Carla jump slightly

"It's October" Carla hisses in Peter's ear

"Peter, Carla please do take a seat" Ken replies gesturing to the sofa where Peter brings Carla into his embrace

"Oh enough of the 'loves young dream act' you two" Tracey retorts wrapping tinsel around trays of food while Carla prays that none of it sets off her sickness

"Young?" Carla questions to Peter and he just laughs knowing exactly what she was thinking

"Just ignore her" Peter sighs knowing it would be a very long day indeed

"What's all this in aid of?" he asks curiously gesturing to the turkey which was being wrapped in tin foil by his dad in the kitchen

"We're celebrating Bertie's first Christmas while Sinead still can" Beth replies putting on a Santa hat, helping Tracey put the food onto trays and wrap them up in foil

"That's sweet" Carla replies

"Would any of you like a drink?" Ken offers

"Orange juice for me" Peter replies

"Just tap water for me" Carla replies

"What time are we leaving?" Peter questions

"Around mid-day" Tracey replies dancing around to some Christmas tunes as Peter and Carla share a look

* * *

Everyone was at Daniel and Sinead's flat, determined to make the best out of a bad situation, there was plenty of food to go around and probably enough for seconds as well. Beth made sure that there were plenty of crackers for everyone to use as well as card games for after dinner as well as plenty of Christmas films which she thought everyone would love. Ken made sure he got the drinks in whilst Kirk made sure everyone was entertained with his guitar which was bought over. The flat was crammed and both Carla and Peter were pushed to share the armchair together which suited Carla as she sat on his lap so she could feel safe, thankfully none of the food set off Carla's morning sickness otherwise Peter would have to use his 'immunosuppressant' excuse which probably wouldn't fool anyone considering it had been more than a few days since he used it.

"You alright?" Peter whispers kissing Carla on the side of her head

"Probably about a 5 or a 4" Carla sighs quietly as Peter massages her head

"Do you want to leave, we can if it gets too much?" Peter asks

"No I'll be alright, I've got you haven't I?

"You do and you always will" he smiles kissing her forehead as Carla yawns

"You tired?" Peter questions noticing her yawning

"Hm" she mumbles, closing her eyes shifting around on Peter's lap

"Maybe we should get you back, I don't want your back to be sore tomorrow" Peter smiles stroking her hair fiddling with it between his fingers appreciating the softness of it

"Mmmk" she mumbles, her eyes still closed

"Right, we're going to head off now I think" Peter announces manoeuvring Carla who hand her hand rested on her stomach

"Thanks for coming" Daniel replies glancing at Carla "Could I have a word?"

"Sure" Peter says stepping into the kitchen area after placing Carla back down on the armchair for her to slide her shoes on

"What's going on?" Daniel grins excitedly knowing that there might be a new addition to the family

"What do you mean?" Peter frowns confused at what Daniel was implying

"You and Carla" Daniel nods towards her

"What about me and Carla?" Peter replies confused still an what Daniel was insinuating

"I saw her" Daniel smiles

"Well yes, she is in the same room as you" Peter retorts sarcastically

"With her hand on her stomach" Daniel says raising his eyebrows a smile on his face

"Are we going or what?" Carla says standing behind him wrapping her arms around his waist from behind kissing him on the cheek

"Hi Carla" Daniel grins

"Hi?" she replies confused glancing between him and Peter

"You've told him 'avent you?" Carla sighs but she wasn't annoyed, she was happy in a way

"No he didn't I guessed" Daniel grins

"Yes well keep it hush this is why I was sceptical about going out" she says hitting Peter lightly on his chest

"I'm sorry, baby" Peter sighs

"Why don't you tell Sinead?" Carla replies "I'm sure she'd love to know"

"You know what I might just do that, it'll really help boost her mood as long as you're sure" Daniel contemplates

"Do it" Carla smiles

"I'll let you get off" Daniel says

"Come on then" Peter smiles holding his hand out for Carla to take "Bye everyone"

* * *

Back at the flat Carla was having a sleep on the sofa after an exhausting day of having to socialise with the family while Peter was organising things in the flat after receiving a text from Michelle saying that she would pop around for a catchup he put the TV on for some background noise before the buzzer went off making Carla jump and wake up from the nap she was having before falling asleep again

"Hi" Michelle smiles at Peter before being welcomed into the flat by him

"You can sit with her if you want" Peter smiles as Michelle makes her way to Carla

"Mm Hi 'Chelle" Carla mumbles sleepily

"Hello, look at you" Michelle beams excitedly gesturing to her stomach which was slightly rounded as she was wearing a tight fitting vest-top

"Ugh don't my trousers aren't even fitting" Carla groans at the though

"This is so exciting" Michelle says excitedly

"We told Daniel today" Carla smiles

"Really I thought you weren't telling anyone" Michelle frowns

"We decided it might give Sinead some reassurance that Bertie might have a little friend you know, when she's…" Carla trails off getting emotional

"I think that was a good thing to do" Michelle smiles holding Carla's hand

"Peter do you have any food?" Carla shouts

"What do you want?" he asks folding tea towels

"Hmm grapes" Carla suggests

"You hate grapes…" Peter frowns

"The baby wants it not me, oh and apples you can get some strawberry ice cream as well oh and some cheese" she grins

"You're not going to eat all of those together are you?" Peter questions grabbing his keys from the coffee table planting a kiss on Carla's forehead as well

"Probably but it will all come back up later" she shrugs grabbing the remote

"I'll be back in a minute" Peter smiles before leaving the house

"How are you…after yesterday?" Michelle questions

"I don't know mainly scared of it happening again, I was thinking about going back to counselling" she suggested, although she was having a calmer day today she was still scared of the unknown and that was playing on her mind quite a bit

"Yeah? that's unlike you to want to actively go to counselling" Michelle replies

"I need to do what's right for me and my baby 'Chelle, I want this to work and if it reduces stress and helps this baby have a better life inside of me then I am all for that" she smiles

"I have a good feeling this is going to be the making of you" Michelle says emotionally

"Me too"

* * *

_**I wasn't sure of uploading this as it was very dialogue heavy and it didn't feel like a lot of description I plan to incorporate some of tonight's episode in the next chapter, then fast forward a bit, I hope you like it so far. All reviews are appreciated x**_


	9. Chapter 9

Today was a day that was going to change lives forever. It was a day where everyone could fall apart or they could come together as a whole, where two families can become one and unite to support each other. Everyone roused from their sleep early to ensure that today went as smoothly as it could for everyone and to spend time with their loved ones before they passed. Peter and Carla spent most of the day together at Ken's with the family, spending time with their loved ones. Peter knew this day would be hard for Carla and past memories would be brought up so he wanted to make her feel safe and that if she needed to break down he was there to hold her and do what he needed to do to make her feel better.

"Would any of you like a drink?" Tracey offers

"Just a brew will do for me, Trace" Peter smiles

"Nothing for me, ta" Carla smiles shuffling into Peter's side, wrapping her arms around Peter's waist, not caring how needy she was being

"How do you think Daniel's doing?" Adam asks fiddling with the coaster on the table trying to deflect feelings of sadness and grief

"As good as he can be" Peter smiles slightly as Carla's phone goes off, he looks at her

"It's Scott" Carla says looking up at Peter biting her lip

"Do you want me to answer it?" Peter offers

"If you wouldn't mind" she sighs pulling her legs up to her chest resting her forehead on her knees

"Car, come here a min" Peter smiles beckoning her out of the room

"What? What's going to happen?" she panics slightly, she was always nervous about Scott's phone calls

"He's going to pop round tomorrow to see how you're doing, I've told him about Sinead ok and he says for me not to push you in anyway and for you to tell me if you want to leave ok?"

"Thank you" she sighs as she hugs him tightly tears threatening to spill down her face

"Come on, let's get you back in there and we can just cuddle until some news comes through eh?"

"Yeah"

They sit in silence for most of the day, most of them did, the TV in the background making noise keeping them somewhat sane. It reached around 4pm when they decided they were going to meet Sinead's family in the Rover's to wait for news. Carla held Peter's hand tight, in case if she did let go she would lose him forever realising how precious life is and how they would prove that when their baby finally made an appearance. It reached half four, there was still no news they all talked about memories of Sinead and how she was a kind soul who didn't deserve to die so young, five o'clock came, no news, they still continued to talked about Sinead, sharing memories. Then the inevitable came of Sinead's passing, when Daniel phoned. The weather reflecting their mood they walked down the street stopping outside the flat they were all sitting in a few days prior having quality family time, umbrellas in hand as Daniel walked out clutching Bertie close to him, the only piece of his wife left, in the form of his son. Carla watched Peter hug him, handing him his umbrella to protect them against the forces of the rain as Carla walked over to shield him as he hugged her close and whispered into her ear.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

Then they walked home

They walked, they didn't talk

They didn't engage any eye contact

Until when Carla was in the safety of their home she broke down in tears, gut wrenching sobs which broke Peter's heart obvious to the fact she held them in all day trying to be strong, he held her close as they both fall to the floor both sobbing into each other, getting all their emotions out.

That's when Carla knew that she had to try and do the best for her unborn child, that's when she realised she would never have love like Peter's, that's when she knew she had to make this work

Peter moved his hand to her stomach she pulled back and moved position to allow him to feel their baby grow as tears dropped onto his hands which originally flowed down Carla's cheeks, she smiled at him, a smile which shows how happy she was as well as the pain she was hiding all day before he helped her up off the floor to head to bed as It had been a long day.

They woke up the next morning after an unsettled night of sleep, disorientated and tired from all the emotion they let out the night before. Carla lay there on his chest looking straight ahead at the wall, a blank canvas for imagination, or for her mind to play tricks on her until the welcome distraction of Peter's voice came

"Hey" he whispers running his hand up and down her back

"Hi" she replies

They needn't say much all they needed was each other's presence and that would do them fine. Peter moved his hand to her stomach, like he did every morning, it becoming some sort of routine he had gotten in the habit of doing, running his hand along her soft skin gently easing any feelings of nausea she may have been feeling. Her morning sickness had improved in recent days, certain foods still setting it off and that cinnamon candle Johnny left as a housewarming gift but she didn't mind really, Peter could tell, all she cared about was growing her baby, her main focus in her life.

Today would be a day of grief where two families would become one, helping each other out, emotionally, physically, probably arguing over what hymns to put in to order of service, but that was their family, that was their special way of doing things. Carla couldn't wait for her baby to have such wonderful people in its life, for once she was actually excited to tell people, the thought scared her, of course it did but she had Peter now, she felt invincible, yeah she had good days, she had bad days, but both of them being there to pick up the pieces together was something she longed for something she wanted to continue into later life.

* * *

Michelle came around later that day to check on her, after hearing the terrible news in passing so she was concerned about how Carla was coping, she wanted to be there for her, to help her through the grief she was experiencing. She arrived at their flat mid afternoon soon after her shift at the bistro had finished. Peter answered the door and smiled at Michelle hoping that she could give Carla some comfort as he was struggling to hold it together himself as well as seeing the pain etched on Carla's face.

"Where is she?" Michelle asks as Peter points towards the bedroom

Michelle makes her way to the bedroom, Peter following straight behind her. And then she saw her secluding herself off from the world, tears staining her cheeks her mind unable to process the information that she was given yesterday, holding her late daughters Teddy close to her chest, grieving for her.

"Oh Carla" Michelle says sitting on the edge of the bed going to hold her hand

"Don't touch me" Carla says retracting her hand from Michelle's grip

"I'm sorry" Michelle replies tearfully her heart breaking for her best friend

"Carla Scott's coming soon" Peter says lying beside her as she turns to face him

"I don't need him" she sighs knowing that she would be defeated if she even tried to deflect the help she needed away

"He just wants to talk to you, about going back to counselling like we discussed the other day, remember?"

"Ok" she replies quietly, feeling defeated

"Do you want anything?"

"I'm alright"

Michelle and Peter both share a look, the fear of Carla regressing prominent in both of their minds, the lack of eye contact they were receiving, a stark reminder of her being in the grips of psychosis, they didn't voice their fears, there was no point, not until Scott came. There was a buzz from the buzzer which was in the wall by the door. Michelle left to answer it, inviting Scott in, showing him to the bedroom, he knelt down in front of her trying to engage eye contact.

"Hello Carla" Scott smiled but received no reply, he glanced at Peter then back Michelle, channeling brainwaves to see if this was normal

"I heard you had some bad news, do you want to talk about it?"

"No" she replies firmly

"Ok would you like to speak to your psychiatrist again?"

"I'm not with my psychiatrist anymore" she frowns fearing that she was regressing back into her psychosis, she felt lost, scared of her own body, like an out of body experience was about to occur any second.

"I'm sure I could make it happen, that's if you want to, I know you had a good relationship with her" Scott suggests trying to use positive words to enforce a positive attitude on Carla as well as a calming voice to keep her anxiety at bay.

"Do you want to try?" Peter suggests

"Ok" she replies bluntly, admitting defeat

"That's good, how's your new medication routine going?"

"Peter" she sighs not wanting to talk anymore, she just wanted to sit with the thoughts in her head until they passed, well she hoped that they passed

"She was doing ok, that was until Sinead passed, now she's been very down not wanting to communicate and give eye contact"

"Ok, I think the problem is her mind is so delicate that when a bombshell like this has hit her she doesn't know how to deal with it, that's why I suggested that seeing a psychiatrist would help her come to terms with her feelings and understand where they all stemmed from so that we can all work together to find a solution to the problem"

"She will get through this, won't she?" Michelle questions

"Cards on the table, if she cooperates with the psychiatrist then I would say that there is a very high possibility that she would but if it takes longer for her to cooperate along with a series of panic attacks and drastic episodes of anxiety she would have to learn how to deal with them, then there is a possibility that we would have to think of other options if this method doesn't work"

"Like what?"

"A care plan at home where I come and see her every day, make sure she takes the medication in the way she's supposed to, monitor her movements, boosting her confidence, she would have therapy with her psychiatrist along with that" Scott explains

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Then we may need to think about going down the section route again, I don't want that for her especially to go through it more than once within a year, so I would definitely push for a care plan" Scott explains honestly making sure they don't feel like they've been lied to

"Thank you" Peter smiles

"How's her eating been?" Scott asks

"Alright really, she eats when she wants to eat, that's a good sign isn't it?"

"I would say so, this may just be a blip and it may pass but it might take her longer due to the fact she's still recovering" Scott replies making notes on his notepad

"Why don't I leave you to it for a bit, both of you, I'm thinking it must be quite intimidating for her if I'm here watching over her" Scott suggests "Call me if you have any problems"

"I'll show you out" Michelle smiles exiting the room

"Come on Car, speak to me" Peter whispers to her but gets no reply

"Is she speaking?" Michelle says sitting herself on the edge of the bed, returning form the living room

"No" Peter sighs as Carla moves so she's hugging him. She starts crying grabbing fistfuls of his t shirt in her hand

"I'm here" he says kissing her head

"I'm sorry" she whispers

"That word's banned" he smiles

"Don't leave me"

"Never"


	10. Chapter 10

_**Thank you all for the lovely reviews, they are very much appreciated! I've decided to do a time jump so I hope you enjoy**_

* * *

**6th November 2019**

Carla woke up bright and early the excitement setting in for seeing their baby for the first time, she was determined to make it special. She had been up and down the past week, everyone had been Scott decided that he would be visiting her every other day to ensure she was making positive progress after she started to regress into the darker parts of her mind which she did, she managed to pick herself up after the devastating news and Peter was so proud of her for that no matter how patronising she though he was being.

"I was thinking, could we go and see Aiden's grave before we go?" Carla asks eating some toast where she was sitting on the sofa

"Yeah? That's fine, do you need me to ask Tracey for some flowers?" Peter questions

"Oh yeah get white lilies" Carla smiles

"Ok I'll be back in a bit"

* * *

Peter drove Carla to the cemetery with the bouquet of white lilies on her lap for the whole journey. She took a couple of deep breaths before she stepped out when she realised the last time she was here, she was in one of darkest places she had ever been in Peter by her side then, and by her side now and she was ever so grateful for that. They walked through the muddy fields as the weather had been atrocious the last few days. Carla approached the grave with hesitation, memories threatening to take hold of the front of her mind, she grasped Peters hand for support, he was unsure of whether this was a good idea, whether she was strong enough to go through with this as she bent down and placed the flowers on the grave.

"Do you reckon he'd have supported me? When all my family turned against me?" Carla questions staring at the grey gravestone, golden letters engraving it, tracing them with her fingers

"I reckon so, he loved you" Peter smiles at her trying to maintain a positive outlook on a dark situation in her life

"He would've made a great uncle" she smiles

"Just like you are going to make an excellent mother"

"I miss him"

"I know you do"

"Come with me" she says holding out her hand for him to take which he does. She leads him to another grave, he knew exactly where she was taking him

"Oh, why are we here?" Peter replies confused

"Because she deserves to see us together now, to show how far we've come and that we will always love each other"

"I'm not sure about this Carla…"

"Please Peter, for me I just need to prove that no matter what is thrown at us, we can do this"

"Ok fine"

They stood there hand in hand staring at Tina's grave, they didn't look at each other, they didn't say anything, they cherished the moment, if that's what you call it but they needed to stand hand in hand, in front of this grave to show their strength together to prove that no one could break them. This gave Carla the confidence to face the world in her stride.

* * *

Peter drove Carla to the hospital, afraid of the reminders bringing her here would be, would it remind her of her late daughter she lost, or will it be a welcome experience, seeing their baby growing inside of her, morning sickness aside, a brand new positive in their lives, someone to care for, some that would need to rely on them. He hated thinking that Carla could break at any point, that she could regress at any point, but that was his reality, he would do anything to protect her as well as the child growing inside of her, a piece of him and a piece of her in this world, and he was desperate to meet that child, love it, protect it at all costs.

"Do we need to wait for Scott?" Carla questioned looking around the similar surroundings, memories starting to flood back from the last time she was here

"I think so, he was going to meet us here I think, so you may as well take a seat" he shrugs as she shifts around on the uncomfortable plastic chairs

"Hi Carla, Peter" Scott smiles taking a seat on one of the plastic chairs waiting for the midwife

"Carla Connor?" the midwife steps out of one of the rooms as all three of them follow her into the room

"I'm Sarah, I will be monitoring you through this pregnancy, me and Scott have spoken prior to this appointment and filled me in on some of the things which have been going on, you must be Peter?" Sarah smiles setting up the equipment

"Yep" he smiles "You ok?" he whispers to Carla and she shakes her head

"What's going on Carla?" Scott asks her trying to bring her attention away from what Sarah was doing noticing her slight obsession with watching her

"What are you doing?" Carla questions, still looking at Sarah

"Me?" Sarah turns to face her, a genuine smile on her face

"Yeah" she says quietly

"I'm setting this up so we can have a look at your baby" Sarah smiles honestly fiddling around with the ultrasound machine

"Sorry" Carla sighs

"You don't have to be sorry, I understand if you're nervous" Sarah smiles reassuringly "Shall we have a look then?"

"Ok" Carla whispers as Peter holds her hand

"How has your pregnancy been so far?" Sarah asks moving the wand around Carla's stomach

"She's had really bad morning sickness, it's got better the past week or so" Peter answers for her knowing that she was still apprehensive answering questions with Sarah

"Is everything ok?" Carla asks as tears fill her eyes, noticing Sarah was taking a long time

"Sorry, if I'm worrying you, I just want to make sure everything's ok, how many weeks did you think you were?" Sarah questions

"Maybe 10 to 12" Carla replies

"Hm ok well I would say around 13 weeks" Sarah replies looking at the screen "Right I'm done taking measurements now, would you like to see?"

"Yeah" Carla replies biting her lip turning to Peter

"There you go, you have one healthy baby, whatever you're doing keep it up" Sarah smiles turning the screen around for them to see

"Wow" Peter smiles kissing Carla's hand, he was amazed and couldn't believe that he missed it the last time she was here, this made him forever determined to make things right and be there for Carla and her unborn child

"So it's alright?" Carla asks tearfully, staring at the screen seeing her baby move around

"Absolutely fine, couldn't be better" Sarah says "Do you want to hear the heartbeat?"

"Yes please" Carla smiles apprehensively as the heartbeat rings through the room Carla stares straight ahead in some sort of trance immediately regretting listening to the heartbeat

"Carla?" Peter questions noticing her weakening her grip on his hand, a sign of something else going on in her mind

"Take me home, please Peter I don't want to be here" Carla gasps, panic setting in trying to push Sarah away

"Carla you're safe ok, me and Scott we're here to help, talk to us" Peter smiles not instigating any form of physical contact until she does

"Let me go home, please take me home" she begs, tears filling her eyes

"I'll go and print these photos off" Sarah says exiting the room in case she was causing the problem and to give Carla some space

"Carla tell us what's going on in your head?" Scott asks calmly hoping his demeanour will rub off on Carla

"The memories, they hurt Peter, they hurt" Carla cries curling up into a ball on the bed

"I know they do, oh Carla don't cry sweetheart" Peter sighs wanting to hug her but not wanting to spook her at the same time by engaging in physical contact in case it freaked her out

"Carla, would you like to move room? We can go to a nicer room with some comfortable sofas and cushions, you might feel safer there" Scott suggests and she just nods

Scott and Peter lead her out of the room to one of the mental health wards where counselling usually takes place, Scott could ask on some of the staff to help out if they were free in case things got out of hand, he sat Carla in one of the more calmer rooms, with plenty of cushions and blankets as well as some destressing activities which she used to do in her counselling sessions knowing that they helped her open up about the way she was thinking and feeling.

"You feeling better?" Peter asks kneeling in front of where she was huddled onto an armchair holding a cushion to her chest, her eyes closed trying to block out the fear

"Can I have a hug now?" she asks as Peter nods, getting up off the chair letting Peter sit on it whilst she sits on his lap, he wraps his arms around her shaking frame, her mindset still timid from the panic it was revealed to

"You're safe, I've got you" Peter says kissing her forehead as tears run down her face, he wipes them away

"Where's Scott gone?" she asks quietly

"He's gone to see if he can find someone to help, close your eyes if that helps" he whispers as she nuzzles into his shoulder

"Where's 'Chelle?" Carla questions refusing to close her eyes

"I can get her to come if you want, she's probably wondering where you are" Peter offers and she nods getting his phone out of his pocket

"If you wouldn't mind" she replies finally closing her eyes making sure her arms were wrapped round Peter's neck

"Is everything ok in here?" Scott asks hovering in the doorway of the room

"She's settled a bit now, a lot calmer" Peter smiles stroking Carla's hair as Scott comes into the room, sitting on the sofa next to the armchair

"I've called Michelle so she should be here any minute now, Carla wanted her here so" Peter explains to Scott who just nods

"Peter where's 'Chelle, you said she'd be here" Carla sighs trying not to get worked up

"She's coming, I spoke to her, remember?" Peter frowns glancing at Scott

"Hi, the receptionist showed me where you were" Michelle smiles hovering in the doorway of the room as Carla gets off Peters lap and rushes to hug Michelle

"Everything alright?" Michelle questions looking at Peter who seemed exhausted with the day's events

"Take me home" Carla pleads with Michelle still clinging on to her

"Let's take a seat then we can talk can't we?" Michelle suggests guiding her over to the sofa as Scott gets up and exits the room

"How's my little niece or nephew then?" Michelle asks as Carla leans her head on her shoulder

"Good, 13 weeks apparently" Carla smiles

"Can I see the pictures then?" Michelle asks as Carla gets up to get them from her bag handing them to her

"There's not much to look at to be honest" Carla says quietly sitting back down next to Michelle resting her head on her shoulder

"Carla, can I have a word?" Scott asks as he enters the room

"Peter..." Carla trails off shaking her head

"Hey, it's alright Scott just wants to talk to you about what's going on in your head" Peter says kneeling down beside Carla who was clinging on to Michelle

"It's nothing bad, I promise you, I was just wondering if you want to go home now?" Scott smiles sincerely as Carla nods in agreement

"I'll give you a day to settle and I'll pop round tomorrow with some more information on what to do next, have some food keep your energy up and I'll see you tomorrow"

"Thanks Scott" Peter smiles "Come on then" he holds his hand out for her to take

"Can Michelle come?" Carla asks grasping onto his hand

"I can come darling, if that's what you want" Michelle smiles and Carla just nods as they walk to the hospital car park

They headed back home waiting for Peter to park the car, he could tell that Carla was tired she was practically falling asleep in the passenger seat, her head leant against the cold glass opening her eyes every now and then whenever he went over a bump in the road which would disturb her. Michelle was following close behind in her car so that they would arrive at the same time, helping reduce Carla's anxiety. As soon as they got in the flat Carla wouldn't let go of Peter, she wanted him close to her so it was up to Michelle to make dinner as well as drinks.

"Come here" Peter smiles tapping his lap as Carla shifts onto it as they both watch the TV, Carla's eyes heavy obviously exhausted "Close your eyes, I've got you"

"Is she asleep yet?" Michelle asks cleaning the worktops in the kitchen

"You're not sleeping are you?" Peter questions, planting a kiss on her forehead and Carla just shifts around on his lap as there was a knock on the door which makes Carla jump as Peter rubs her back

"I'll get it" Michelle smiles mentally cursing whoever was behind the door

"Dad, Mum is doing my head in can I stay here?" Simon groans loudly disturbing Carla

"Si go with Michelle for a minute I'll speak to you soon alright?" Peter smiles trying to keep calm as well as trying to calm Carla down

"What's happening?" Simon asks, confused about what was going on

"Carla's not feeling to great at the moment-" Michelle starts

"Will we have to go back to Carlisle?"

"Hopefully not, your dads trying hard to make sure she stays right here where she belongs, I'm just here to help" Michelle explains

"Oh ok, sorry if I disturbed her" Simon says biting his lip, feeling guilty about the situation as there was a knock as the door

"Be right back" Michelle said going to answer the door

"Is Simon here?" Leanne shouts as Michelle answers the door running a hand down her face in pure annoyance and exasperation

"Michelle come sit with Carla, I'll deal with this" Peter smiles moving Carla from his lap as both Carla and Michelle lie on the sofa together

"Do you mind?" Peter hisses clearly annoyed at Leanne for interrupting Carla, he didn't mind Simon so much but this was the last straw, he tried so hard not to let his temper get to him

"Uh yes I do mind because I need to speak to Simon, is he here?" Leanne replies angrily "Has he told you what he's done?"

"No because I have my hands full here I can't drop everything for one of your petty squabbles" Peter groans in annoyance

"Oh so Carla comes before your own son now does she?" Leanne says incredulously

"Make it stop" Carla whispers covering her ears

"Shh you're ok" Michelle says rubbing her back trying to focus on keeping Carla calm instead of decking Leanne

"I never said that, what I'm trying to say, if you let me speak, is that Simon is a 16 year old now and he is allowed to make his own choices, if he wants to get away for a bit then he is more than welcome to" Peter explains calmly "Now if you don't mind I have business to attend to"

"It's always sweep everything under the carpet with you isn't it?" Leanne shrieks

"Peter" Michelle calls watching Carla sit in the corner of the room her anxiety reaching an all-time high

"Bye Leanne" Peter says closing the door on her and sighing annoyed at the confrontation before going over to Carla

"Hey I'm sorry that happened" Peter sighs kneeling down in front of Carla who was sitting in the corner of the room noticing her trembling slightly "Michelle can you ring Scott"

"Sure" she smiles getting up off the floor

"Can I move you, that doesn't look very comfortable sitting there" Peter smiles as Carla holds his hand and yawns getting up and leaning into him as they both sit on the sofa, returning to their original position before Leanne interrupted them

"Scott will be here in five" Michelle says sitting next to them on the sofa

"I'm hungry" Carla whispers

"I can get Robert to bring something from the bistro if you want?" Michelle offers and Carla nods as the buzzer goes off making Carla jump "I'll get it"

"Hi Michelle, Carla, Peter" Scott smiles taking a seat on the armchair "How we doing then?"

"Not too good, she's talking but she just seems spaced out, jumpy, on-edge" Peter explains

"Ok, Carla I've had a chat with some of my colleagues and I think the best thing we can do right now is to start up counselling again" Scott explains calmly

"With my old psychiatrist?" she questions quietly giving eye contact which Peter is relieved about

"That's the plan, yes" Scott smiles "I also want to talk to you about your next scan as well"

"Ok" she whispers

"I was thinking we might try and do it in a calmer environment, less clinical, would you like that?" Scott proposes ready to take notes and she just nods in agreement

"Are you less worried now?" Peter asks and she nods which pleases Peter

"Can Michelle come next time?" Carla asks

"I don't see why not" Peter responds stroking her hair

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Scott questions, with a smile

"You know the birth plan, do we need to take any considerations with it?" Peter asks

"I'll make sure I'm on standby in case things go wrong and I'm in close communications with the midwife so I inform her of any changes in your care as well as things which may help you cope during pregnancy" Scott explains honestly

"Do we push her to go out at all?" Michelle asks

"It would boost her confidence if she did, but if she's tired I wouldn't force the matter" Scott smiles

"Ok I think that's it" Peter smiles

"I recommend writing things down you want to ask me rather than trying to think of them on the spot" Scott suggests "but if that's it then I'll show myself out, try and get some rest Carla you've had a difficult day"

"Bye Scott" Peter smiles

"I'll go and get that food" Michelle smiles grabbing her bag

"Right let's run you a bath so you can unwind"

"Ok"

* * *

_**Sorry it's very dialogue heavy again, I tried to add more description but it didn't work but I hope you like it anyway :/**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Very dialogue heavy again, I just cant seem to find a suitable balance, hope you enjoy either way, thank you so much for all the lovely reviews I'm glad you're enjoying it**

* * *

**November 7th 2019**

Carla didn't sleep well for the remainder of the night after using the usual calming techniques which she was taught when she came out of the psychiatric unit which suggested to them both that she needed to find some new ones, she seemed brighter less spaced out but the anxiety was still there waiting for the prime moment to show itself and scare her more, all plans had been put on hold to tell the family about the pregnancy as Peter wanted to ensure that she had the right to make the decision so she felt in control. Peter ended up watching her sleep all night in case she had a nightmare or was unsettled for any other reason to make sure she felt safe.

"Peter?" Carla whispers grabbing his hand and placing it against her stomach hinting that she wasn't feeling well

"I'm here don't worry" Peter smiles rubbing her stomach, still using the same routine she liked every morning since she found out she was pregnant

"I don't feel good" she groans slightly shifting around in bed to face him as he pulls her closer to him

"In what way?" Peter asks

"I'm going to be sick" she squirms getting up and running to the bathroom, Peter following close behind holding her hair back as she's sick

"At least I got a break for a couple of days" she shrugs leaning against the bath taking a breather

"Do you want anything?" Peter offers sitting next to her as her head leans on his shoulder

"I'm alright, should pass pretty quickly" she sighs

"Why don't you get back into bed, and I'll bring the bucket through, you look shattered" Peter suggests helping her up off the floor

"Ok can you bring the fluffy blanket from the sofa? she grins before heading off into the bedroom and sliding back into bed

"One bucket, one hot water bottle and blanket for you" Peter smiles entering the room passing her the blanket and hot water bottle and placing the bucket on the floor

"I don't deserve you"

"Well I'm afraid you're stuck with me"

"Can we have a lazy day? Just you and me blocking out the world" she asks while placing the hot water bottle on her stomach and wrapping the blank around her, feeling the soft texture beneath her fingers bringing her the comfort she needed

"That's fine, we can just cuddle watch some films and just chill"

"What about Simon?" Carla questions taking hold of the remote

"He's at college until two, I still need to find out what's gone on between him and Leanne" Peter sighs shaking his head "What we watching then?"

"Ooo the shopping channel, you can get ideas for Christmas" she grins excitedly switching to the channel "I don't suppose you could nip to the shop?"

"What do you want?"

"Some ice" Carla replies

"Just ice, can't you make do with water?"

"It's not the same Peter, I want ice" she grins

"Anything else?"

"Celery and vanilla ice cream" she lists making sure she's satisfied "That's it I think I'll call you if I think of anything else"

"I'll be back in half an hour or so" he says getting dressed

"Thank you"

* * *

Peter entered Dev's to find all of Carla's supplies that she wanted as well as getting weird looks from Dev at his purchases after making awkward small talk about why he was buying a weird concoction of food. He bumped into Simon on his way back home who was meant to be at college.

"And why aren't you at college then?" Peter sighs sitting next to him in the community gardens knowing he was probably going to get every excuse under the sun

"And why have you got ice and Celery in a shopping bag" he raises his eyebrows, avoiding the question

"Ok fair point, but stop trying to avoid the question" Peter laughs slightly

"I just needed a breather, it can be pretty intense there at times" Simon sighs

"I understand but bunking off is not the way to go"

"I'm sorry about yesterday, disturbing Carla, I was just angry that's all" Simon replies apologetically

"Hey its alright, she was just having a bad day that's all" Peter reassures him and is touched by his caring demeanour

"Mums just been getting on my nerves lately that's all" he shrugs scuffing his shoes on the ground

"What's been going on then?" Peter asks

"Nothing really, it's just nice to have a break from her once in a while she can be pretty full on with Oliver and all that and her and Nick make me want to move country" he shrugs

"That's understandable, why don't you come back to mine then we can watch some films it'll stop Carla from putting on the shopping channel" he groans at the thought

"Why have you got Celery and ice cubes anyway, that's just weird" Simon frowns

"I'll tell you when we get in"

* * *

Peter and Simon arrive home to Carla sat in the corner of the living room. Simon glances at his dad in need of reassurance of a situation he wasn't used to seeing, he'd seen her when she was in recovery but he never saw her having a panic attack, it scared him quite a bit.

"Hey what's happened?" Peter says kneeling down in front of Carla trying to calm her

"You didn't take your phone I tried calling you but you didn't answer" she cries grabbing onto him

"I'm here now, you're just tired ok let's get you back to bed come on" Peter says lifting her up and taking her into the bedroom

"Stay, please stay don't leave me" she panics

"I'm not leaving I'm here look you've got me, I got your ice and Celery" he smiles and she laughs slightly

"Can I have it along with the vanilla ice cream oo and onions" she perks up a bit thinking about the need for the foods she so desperately craved

"Si's going to ask questions, he's already onto us"

"Send him in" she smiles

"Si come here a minute" Peter calls

"What's going on?" he asks cautiously after what he just witnessed

"How would you like to be a big brother?"

"Wait, no way!" he gasps excitedly

"We're due in May" Carla smiles

"I won't say anything" Simon says knowing that it would be wrong to reveal the news

"I just thought you should know so you don't have to deal with me either being sick, being needy and eating weird food concoctions" she grins

"ah so the Celery makes sense now" he realises laughing at how weird it was

"Speaking of food, can I have my ice cream, ice, Celery and onions please" Carla grins

"How can you even eat that?" Simon grimaces at the thought of all of the foods mixed together in a bowl

"You don't understand how long I've been waiting for it" Carla sighs taking a bite of the stick of celery she was holding

"Let me guess you'll throw it all back up later?"

"Got it in one kiddo, got it in one"

* * *

All three of them lazed around all day in the flat outvoting each other on what to watch for the remainder of the morning, but Carla still managed to put the shopping channel on when none of them were looking, which she found hilarious. Peter was happy that this family time was contributing to her happy mood, she seemed much more brighter and more happy with herself which reassured him that she was going to be ok.

"Can we play a game or summat?" Simon asks bored of watching cheesy films and the shopping channel all day

"What do you have in mind?" Carla asks

"Monopoly?" Simon grins

"Si do we have to, we're going to lose especially with Carla playing" he groans at the thought of losing

"Well it's the only game you have here...except for a deck of cards" he trails off going to one of the cupboards

"I think we should teach Si poker, but I'm fine with monopoly" Carla grins

"Well you would say that you're fine with monopoly because you always win and no we are not teaching him poker" Peter retorts

"You're just jealous that I'm better at monopoly than you" she raises her eyebrows pinning him down on the sofa

"That's hardly something to be jealous of, you probably cheat anyway" he says sticking his tongue out

"I do not cheat!" she gasps settling down on his chest getting comfortable as he helps her move herself

"How's bump?" he whispers planting kisses in her hair

"Feel" she smiles grabbing his hand and moving it to her stomach

"I can't wait to meet it" he grins

"We need to think about telling people because people are going to start to question soon" she grins

"Only when you want to, no pressure ok?"

"Are you finished being all over each other yet?" Simon groans playing on his phone as the buzzer goes off which makes Carla jump slightly

"Si can you get that?" Peter asks while holding Carla close noticing she just jumped at the sound of the buzzer

"It's Johnny" Simon smiles

"Ugh you've got to be kidding me" Carla groans wanting a peaceful day

"Great who let him up" Carla huffs hearing him knocking on the door to the flat

"I think you made the wrong choice" Simon laughs talking to Johnny

"Why aren't you answering your messages?" Johnny accuses Carla of ignoring him, which she was

"Because I'm an adult and I don't have to answer messages if I don't want to" Carla frowns starting to get annoyed

"Well I'm sorry for caring, I saw you and Peter getting out the car yesterday you looked sad I just worry because I don't want you to bottle things up" Johnny sighs

"Johnny I have Peter, here with me 24 hours a day seven days a week, if there's something to be worried about then he'll tell you" Carla sighs

"Michelle said you were struggling that's all" he sighs

"Well it was none of Michelle's business to reveal that" Carla retorts knowing that Michelle meant no harm by it

"So it is true then?" he asks

"I don't have to answer to you" Carla huffs getting increasingly annoyed

"Johnny maybe you should leave it now…" Peter sighs not wanting to get involved but he wanted to reduce Carla's stress levels

"No I will not leave it, why are you being like this Carla? What's gotten into you?"

"Right that's it, if you want to know get all the family to the Rover's in about an hour or so then I will tell you, if not then deal with it, same goes to you Peter" she shouts getting up and heading into the bathroom

"I give up I really do, meet you in the Rovers in an hour"

* * *

Carla got dressed into some leggings and a baggy jumper, something comfortable, she did some minimal makeup as well to give herself the boost she needed when it came to family get togethers. She started to regret telling everyone to meet up at the Rovers due to the fact it was a big step going out of the house so soon after she panicked last time and especially in such a public place where things could set off her anxiety, she made Peter promise that of she felt uneasy he would get her out of there as soon as possible to make things easier for her.

"Hi Johnny two orange juices for us please" Peter smiles leaning up against the bar holding Carla's hand

"Is everyone here?" Carla mentally counts everyone

"We're still waiting on Adam, Sarah and Daniel" Tracey replies "What are we even here for?"

"You'll see won't you?" Peter grins, his arm slipped around Carla's waist to support her which she gratefully accepted

"About time" Tracey mutters gesturing to Sarah and Adam, Daniel following close behind holding Bertie

"So we wanted to invite you to join this new chapter in our lives didn't we Car?" Peter says and she nods, feeling a little uneasy

"Especially around May next year" she smiles, placing her hand on her stomach cutting straight to the point

"Oh my god" Jenny gasps "No way"

"Yes way!" Carla grins as Jenny rushes to hug her but Carla didn't mind, she shared the same excitement

"You're pregnant?" Jenny shrieks

"I am indeed due in May" she smiles

"This is so exciting another baby in the family!" Jenny exclaims excitedly

"I'm sorry for not telling you" Carla says turning to face Johnny

"Don't worry about, I'm sorry if I forced you to reveal it with me pushing things" he says feeling guilty about the matter

"It doesn't matter, I'm just glad it's out in the open" Carla sighs, relieved that she doesn't have to hide anything anymore

"Kates going to be so excited, she'll probably want to come back home, I'm going to have another grandchild" Johnny smiles

"Hey son, congratulations" Ken smiles shaking Peter's hand

"Thanks dad" he smiles

"Hey all out in the open then?" Daniel nudges Peter handing Bertie to him

"Yeah it is, isn't it Bertie, going to have a little cousin to play with eh?" Peter coos as Bertie babbles on poking Peter in the cheek, his big blue eyes looking up at him, somewhat mesmerising

"Don't scare him off before it's born, they might hate each other" Carla groans "Can I have a cuddle?"

"Sure, and I'm sure our baby won't be the only one stealing the limelight" Peter smiles handing Bertie over to Carla

"Hi Bertie" she beams taking hold of his, his hand grasping a couple of her fingers, he looks up at her his face breaking into a smile which melts Carla's heart

"Anyway want a drink?" Daniel offers

"Go on then" Peter smiles leaving Carla to talk to Michelle who appeared at the side of her

"Look at you!" Michelle exclaims at Carla obsession with Bertie as she entertains him handing him one of his toys Daniel had

"Sorry" she blushes "He's just so cute"

"You're going to be a natural you know that?"

"I hope so, I really do"


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you so much for the reviews, I am actually enjoying writing this so much and you guys are really making my day by leaving them**

* * *

**12th November 2019**

Carla was getting increasingly bored being in the flat all day everyday so she decided that she would go in for a shift in the bistro for a couple of hours with Michelle so she could be around different surroundings as staring at the same four walls was becoming rather annoying for her. She felt better in recent days she had no more panic attacks and felt less anxious but that didn't stop her thinking that one was going to come which added some fear with going out and doing normal things but she took it in her stride anyway.

"So then what do you want me to do?" Carla asks taking a seat on one of the bar stools

"You could do some boring accounts stuff or you could clean tables, choice is yours" Michelle shrugs cleaning the bar

"I think I'll stick to cleaning tables" Carla grins grabbing the disinfectant off the side along with a cloth

"I'm surprised you're not spending the day with Peter" Michelle laughs raising her eyebrows

"No, he's out having some one on one bonding time with his nephew and brother, I wouldn't want to interrupt boy time" Carla rolls her eyes grimacing at the thought of all of them sitting around a table together

"Can Robert tag along, he could do with some boy time" Michelle grins

"Oh save it you, boy time sounds a bit patronising anyway" Carla smiles scrubbing the table before she gets a painful twinge in her stomach, moving her hand to the spot where it hurt, which doesn't go unnoticed by Michelle

"Woah ok, that's enough of that" she says pulling up a chair for Carla to sit on which she does

"I've had them before, stop fussing we rang the midwife yesterday and she said it's something about the uterus preparing for birth or growing with the baby" Carla sighs

"As long as you're sure, anyway did you see the group chat last night?"

"No…was I meant to?"

"Kate's coming back for a visit"

"Please tell me it's not because I'm pregnant" Carla sighs annoyed that Kate actually reconsidered her travelling adventure for her, she wanted to see her sister again but she felt like this was a step too far

"Partly, but I think she misses her big sister" Michelle smiles "She's coming back for Christmas"

"Ugh I haven't even thought that far ahead" Carla groans at the thoughts of buying gifts for everyone

"You still have time, isn't your 20 week scan around then?"

"23rd December, Scott decided he wanted to do it before Christmas as it might give me something positive to think about as he would be off duty" Carla states, secretly worried about how Peter will come with her anxiety on his own without professional help being available

"That would be a good Christmas present if you're going to find out what you're having?"

"I kind of want to keep it a surprise, we still need to think about a birth plan as well" she bites her lip fiddling with one of the straws in her fingers, a welcome distraction

"Hm I'm guessing you're worried about it being clinical and stressful, in hospital?" Michelle suggests

"Yeah that's my main concern but I guess there's no way around that is there, either way I have to be in hospital" she shrugs

"Not necessarily, I mean people have home births" Michelle shrugs, organising the bottles of spirits on the shelves so all the labels are visible

"That's true, but I don't know how Peter will feel about it, it would keep me more calm I guess and I would feel safer in my own environment compared to something new"

"I'm sure he would just want you to be happy, home births are meant to be special, really good bonding with the baby bringing it into the environment where it's going to live as soon as it's born, as well as Peter being involved from the off, supporting you without machines being in the way" Michelle smiles taking Carla's hand, hopefully providing some comfort she needed

"I might suggest it to see what he thinks, I can't believe I'm going to be a mum 'Chelle"

"Never in a million years I would've thought you'd be excited to be a mum, yet here you are. Hey if you had a home birth you could even have more family members in there with you as there wouldn't be a limit like there would be in the hospital" Michelle grins

"Ew imagine Roy and Johnny there with me, I think I'd prefer to be stressed out in a hospital" Carla squirms, mentally distraught of the images of Roy and Johnny she thought of supporting her in labour

"I could be there, so could Kate if you wanted" Michelle smiles

"Hm I guess, I'll think about it but I will definitely mention it to Peter to see what he thinks" Carla shrugs, yawning trying to fight tiredness

"Maybe you should go home"

"Yeah, I'm pretty knackered" she laughs

"You do look tired, you sleeping alright?" Michelle questions gently knowing that she may get her head bitten off

"I get at least 6 hours but I've been pretty unsettled lately, that's all" she shrugs it off her eyes becoming wet with unshed tears as one rolls down her face

"You need to get more than that darlin' oh Car don't cry" Michelle smiles moving to the other side of the bar to hug her "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I don't want to burden you with my problems when you have enough of your own" she sighs wiping the tears from her cheeks

"Carla your problems will never be a burden to me, you know that. Do you want to go in the office, more private and cosy?" Michelle says holding out her hand to take

"Ok"

"Right what's going on?" Michelle says taking a seat on the sofa in the office as Carla leans her head on Michelle's shoulder

"I just don't feel myself, is that normal when you're pregnant, I felt fine the last time" Carla sighs

"Darling, you've been through a lot, I thought you were happy, do you not want this baby?" Michelle asks carefully in case Carla was hiding her true feelings

"I do, I really do want this baby, I can't wait till it's here but I just feel things are going too fast, I don't know me and Peter, I'm so in love with him and I'm just scared of letting him down" Carla cries rubbing her stomach

"Does your stomach still hurt?" Michelle asks ignoring what she was saying

"Yeah a bit" Carla frowns, dread building up inside of her

"I'm taking you to the hospital, come on I'm not taking any chances"

* * *

Michelle and Carla were sat in the maternity unit of Weatherfield General waiting to see Carla's midwife, Michelle wanted to keep things the same for Carla therefore she pushed for her to see the same midwife she did last time, discreetly explaining Carla's situation to the receptionist. Carla was getting increasingly anxious as she really didn't like the clinical atmosphere along with getting annoyed with Peter for not answering his phone so Michelle kept trying to keep her calm.

"Carla?" Sarah appears from the room, with a smile

"Hi" Carla says quietly, unsure of the situation, following her into the room and climbing onto the bed

"What seems to be the problem then?" Sarah questions and Carla looks up at Michelle

"She seems to be in pain in her lower stomach, I suggested she comes and gets checked out" Michelle sighs holding Carla's hand trying to keep her calm

"Can I have a look?" Sarah asks and Carla shakes her head

"Come on Car, let Sarah have a look eh, I'd love to see your baby"

"No, don't touch me"

"Is Peter around?" Sarah asks knowing that Peter would probably best in this situation now, having spoken to Scott about how much Carla trusts him

"He won't answer his phone, I've left a message" Michelle sighs, annoyed with the situation

"Alright I'll see if Scott's around" Sarah smiles leaving the room

"Please take me home 'Chelle" Carla says getting off the bed and hugging her, Michelle was mentally cursing Peter for not answering his phone

"I got here as fast as I could" Peter says breathlessly entering the room

"Where were you?" Carla questions

"Sorry Si was ill and I needed to pick him up from college, Leanne couldn't do it because she was working" Peter sighs bringing her into a hug

"Hi Peter" Sarah smiles entering the room again after being unable to find Scott "Will you let me have a look now Carla?"

"Ok"

"Right let me get in position" Sarah says moving the wand around on Carla's stomach after putting some of the gel on her stomach which Carla hated

"Is everything alright?" Peter asks

"Bare with me a minute" Sarah smiles, moving the wand around on Carla's stomach still

"Peter what's happening?"

"Let Sarah do what she needs to do" he smiles kissing her forehead hoping to provide some comfort

"Do you want to have a look, will that help?" Sarah offers and Carla nods

"Look you see, it's all ok isn't it?" Peter smiles looking at the screen, mesmerised with the picture of his baby being displayed there

"Everything looks fine Carla, a nice strong heartbeat, these pains happen in pregnancy, I suggest cutting down on stress, that might help, baths, hot water bottles and try not to push yourself to do things because you feel you have to, I can understand why you could've been worried but that is one happy baby in there" Sarah smiles reassuringly staring at the screen

"Wow, that's amazing" Michelle gasps bringing a hand up to her mouth

"Isn't it just" Carla smiles staring at the screen

"Thank you Sarah, for putting her mind at rest" Peter smiles, knowing that Carla's paranoia would never settle to the extent where she could be carefree

"It's not a problem, I understand why she may be anxious, if you have any more concerns, just call me" Sarah smiles as Carla cleans her stomach

"Right shall we head home then?" Peter says bringing Carla into a hug

"Yeah" she whispers

* * *

Back at the flat Carla was laying on the sofa with Peter, relaxing after being in the hospital for a few hours which stressed her out so Peter suggested that she should unwind watching films with him for the rest of the day. Peter let her put the shopping channel on because she was traumatised by being in an environment she hated as he didn't want her to have another panic attack and scare her anymore hoping that it would calm her down.

"You alright?" Peter whispers kissing her head as she shifts around trying to get comfortable

"Can we talk?" Carla sighs, not really knowing how to start the conversation she was about to instigate

"If you want" Peter smiles

"I was thinking about the birth earlier, with Michelle" Carla trails off not knowing how to start the conversation

"Yeah?"" Peter replies, prompting her to continue

"Anyway I was thinking maybe we can opt for a home birth" she says turning around to face him

"And your reason for this is?" Peter asks

"Well I just think that it will reduce my anxiety and make me more happier if I'm in an environment I'm used to" she shrugs

"I think that's a good idea, as long as it's safe" he smiles massaging her head which makes her really sleepy

"I should've asked Sarah what she thinks when we were at the hospital"

"We can ask her at the 20 week scan, changing the subject, I had a letter today for you" Peter smiles

"Really?"

"Yeah, a date for your first meeting with the psychiatrist again" Peter smiles kissing her forehead

"When is it?" Carla sighs, not knowing if she was strong enough to do these sessions

"Next week, Wednesday" he says trying to gage a reaction to make sure she still wanted to go to counselling

"Oh, ok"

"You ok with that, you don't sound too convinced"

"It's not that I just feel I'm taking steps backwards not forwards, we were settling into a nice routine and it actually felt I was making progress mentally, then this pregnancy is just thrown in the mix and thrown me right off track"

"Are you saying you don't want a baby, that it's too soon?" Peter questions, confused about what she was suggesting

"No, I love this baby more than the world, I just wish it happened later we've only been back together less than a year, we rushed to get our own place, it just feels like things are going too fast"

"What do you want then?" Peter smiles

"To take one day at a time even one hour at a time"

"That's fine, how's Si, sorry I forgot to ask" she bites her lip, feeling guilty

"No, you've had a lot on your plate you don't need to apologise, to be honest I think something else is going on he seems reluctant to go to college for some reason, falling out with Leanne the next, like the other day when I went out to get your stuff, I found him sat in Victoria Gardens not at college when he was supposed to be, he didn't even bother to try and make excuses"

"Maybe you should take him out for the day, hopefully this time I won't interrupt, father son bonding" she groans thinking about that horrible nausea she had

"I guess, as long as you'll be fine here alone-"

"Dad, I'm this close to moving here with you!" Simon shouts as Carla covers her ears, loud noises threatening to set of her anxiety

"Ugh what's happened now?" Peter groans kissing Carla on her head hoping to provide her with some comfort

"She asked me to look after Oliver tomorrow evening because her and Nick **need** not _want,_ a date night, when she knew I was going to a party, I told her this way in advance and she never listens" Simon shouts getting increasingly annoyed

"I'm going out" Carla huffs grabbing her bag and coat and heading out of the flat, finally reaching the end of her tether

"Carla wait" Peter sighs "Si, take a seat let me just ring Michelle"

"Michelle…Yeah fine well no not really…Carla's stormed out, she's probably quite agitated…could you have a look for her or if she turns up there try and get her settled…yes I will let you know if she comes back…alright thanks"

"Can I stay here for a bit" Carla asks appearing at the bar to see Jenny

"Yeah, love go through you look freezing" Jenny says putting an arm around her shoulders

"What's the matter then?"

"It's just Peter and Simon, arguing with each other, so I just let them get on with it" she sighs picking away at her fingernails

"You're always welcome here, you know that" Jenny smiles taking hold of her hand to make her stop picking away at them in case she hurts herself

"Oh hi Carla" Johnny grins taking a seat next to her

"Hi" she smiles slightly, it was nice to have some different company rather than Peter and Michelle

"What brings you here then?" Johnny smiles

"Um Peter and Simon are talking about Leanne so I thought I'd give them some space because I don't really want to be part of that conversation" she says resting her hand on her stomach

"That's some good going to thirteen weeks" Jenny laughs raising her eyebrows

"Ugh don't I'll be birthing a baby the size of the earth come May" Carla groans annoyed that she will have to try hard to shed this extra pregnancy wait once she's given birth

"Are you sure you're thirteen weeks?" Jenny grins

"Yeah definitely confirmed" Carla raises her eyebrows

"It must be exciting" Johnny smiles

"Yeah a stark contrast from last time" she smiles, her face dropping after realising what she said, the fear setting in of having to reveal the past, first time she's done it without Peter or Michelle being there

"What do you mean, last time?" Johnny frowns

"It's nothing Johnny, really don't worry"

"Doesn't seem like nothing…" Johnny sighs "Why won't you tell me things Carla, I'm your dad"

"Because…it's too painful ok"

"Please, you can tell me I want to help" Johnny smiles trying not to lose his temper, hoping that it would help her to open up

"I've already lost one baby…Peter's the last time we were together, she was a girl"

"So I would've had a granddaughter?" he smiles slightly trying to think about what she would've looked like

"Yeah, I'm sorry"

"Don't you dare apologise, you've done nothing wrong" Johnny sighs bringing her in for a hug hoping to provide comfort for her, knowing that raking over the past would be hard for her

"It just feels like if I did more to protect her then she would've still been here" Carla sighs, wiping her eyes

"Oh there you are!" Michelle exclaims entering the back room of the Rover's

"Hi 'Chelle" Carla smiles slightly

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah we were just talking…Let me guess Peter sent you to search for me?" Carla rolls her eyes

"Yeah he was just worried about you, he's finished talking with Simon so I thought I'd come and fetch you" she grins

"Oh really…well I best get going, thanks for everything, Johnny, Jenny" Carla smiles gratefully

"Not a problem kid, you know we're always here if you need us" Jenny smiles

"Come on we need to go!" Michelle says dragging Carla's arm

"Ok what's going on" Carla sighs knowing that it'll be some sort of surprise she didn't need right now

"Peter's got a surprise for you" Michelle grins

"Oh god, doesn't this man realise I hate surprises yet?" she groans as they walk down the street towards Victoria Court

"You'll love this one I promise" Michelle beams and gets an eye roll from Carla as they walk up the stairs

* * *

Carla enters the flat to see candles lit on the dining room table and a bouquet of red roses in a vase situated on the kitchen counter, she couldn't help but blush at what Peter had done for her and this was just what she needed to chill and unwind. She even smiled at the rose petals, red's, and pinks, white's thrown in for good measure, scattered over the kitchen counter which she would usually find cringey but when it was Peter it was different, she enjoyed it when he was being cringey, it made her feel special, wanted, in a way it melted her heart.

"Why have you done this then" Carla smiles wrapping her arms round Peters neck as his hand rest on her hips

"Because I want to apologise for not shutting Si up earlier and I want to do something nice for the mother of my unborn child who I love more than the world"

"Very smooth, I'm impressed"

"And I've got us a waiter for the evening…" Peter grins

"Oh and who's that then, ugh please tell me it's not Adam or someone I don't think I could deal with the jokes, especially if it is Adam" she rolls her eyes

"No, I wouldn't put you through that. Si come out!"

"I look stupid, a suit really?" he huffs and Carla bursts out laughing at what Simon was wearing

"This could be classed as child cruelty" Carla grins adjusting Si's tie which he blushes at

"I'm not a child and Dad, I think I've done what you've asked, can I please stay here now" he sighs

"Ah, ah you need to serve me and Carla dinner" Peter grins having Simon where he wants him

"Fine, but don't you even think I'm doing this again, why don't you guys take a seat and I'll have your meals with you in no time" he grins sarcastically

"I can't believe you got him to do that" Carla shakes her head amused

"Well there's always a catch, he needs to learn to earn things" Peter shrugs taking Carla's hand and leading her to the table where he pulls out a chat for her to sit on

"Oh such a gent"

"Hey, I can be a gent if I put my mind to it"

"I know, baby, this is lovely you know I can't believe you did this for me" she smiles grateful unshed tears in her eyes

"Don't' cry" he smiles

"Sorry it's these blasted hormones, playing havoc with my emotions" she laughs, sniffling her tears away

"I cant wait to meet our baby" he grins

"Neither can I, besides my anxiety, this is the happiest I've been in a long time" she smiles holding up her glass

"To the future?"

"To the future"


	13. Chapter 13

**I hope you enjoy, and thank you for the reviews :)**

* * *

**20th November 2019**

Peter woke Carla up early, she was settled for most of the night which Peter was grateful for knowing that today may turn out to be a difficult day as it was the first time meeting with her psychiatrist after being 2 months free of counselling. Peter wanted to be there to support her to ensure that she was alright, to hold her hand if she needed it knowing that her psychiatrist can go into really deep topics with her, as well as keeping her calm in the process. Peter learnt that he shouldn't enforce anything on a 'counselling' day as he liked to call it because it could set Carla back but he always made sure that he was there in case she needed to talk.

"Wakey wakey" Peter grins slightly kissing her forehead as she huddles into him, in need of his warmth

"Mmm, woah I actually feel alright for once" she laughs slightly

"How's the little one doing?" he smiles placing his hand on her bump which was getting bigger by the day

"Alright, becoming a bit of a pain to sleep with but the sacrifices we make for love"

"Do you want breakfast?" Peter asks

"Yeah go on then, can I have cornflakes with, ugh what's it called?"

"Jam?"

"No, the other one"

"Marmalade?"

"No" she whines

"Honey?"

"Yes! That's it!" she beams excited about the prospect of eating breakfast "But no milk" she grimaces

"Ok, cornflakes with honey, without any milk coming up" Peter grins shaking his head, getting out of bed to go into the kitchen, leaving Carla to pick an outfit for the day

"Peter!" she moans skimming through her wardrobe, finding clothes which fit was becoming a bit of a challenge now

"What?" he sighs entering the bedroom, this ritual becoming a daily occurrence

"All my leggings are in the wash, can you go up to Michelle's and ask her for some"

"Ok…Your cornflakes are on the counter, put a dressing gown on or something otherwise you'll catch a cold" he smiles pecking her on the nose which she grins at

"Your leggings, Michelle says go shopping for some maternity clothes already"

"Bloody cheek" Carla tuts tucking into her food "Ugh"

"What now?" Peter sighs exasperatedly knowing that it was going to be a long day if Carla was in one of these undecisive moods

"Maybe I didn't want honey, maybe it was the other one… what was it again?" Carla sighs dipping her head into her hands

"Marmalade" he grins

"Hm" she says going to the cupboard and grabbing the Marmalade with a spoon dolloping it into her mouth wincing at the sweetness

"Carla you're going to be sick if you do that" Peter sighs putting his head in his hands

"I'll probably be sick even if I didn't do this. No not marmalade…" she moans rummaging through the cupboards

"Car, we're going to be late if you don't get dressed"

"I need this, whatever it is, Peter you don't understand, I've been waiting all night for this"

"Ok well It will be extra special when we get back and you eat it, won't it?" he says persuasively as she narrows her eyes at him contemplating what he just said in her head

"Ok, true" she shrugs grabbing her leggings and heading into the bathroom, Peter knew that today would be a long day indeed

* * *

They head to a clinic near the hospital where counselling usually takes place. Carla had been here many times before, she didn't like it one bit, it was the white walls in the waiting room made her feel on edge but she just guessed they did this to make unwanted feelings more prominent so that there would be something to talk about in the session and how the feelings stem from different scenarios that her mind was exposed to, luckily she had Peter by her side to guide her through the situation.

"Carla?" Ciara, Carla's psychiatrist, appears in the doorway

"Yeah" she smiles slightly

"Want to come with me, I know you don't like it but we can have a little chat, Peter can come too" she smiles kneeling down in front of her

"Ok"

"Please do take a seat, and don't worry, I know what you're like" Ciara smiles placing a notepad on the table in case Carla didn't want to speak, this was pretty much normality back in Carlisle, she never really wanted to speak to any of the support there so she had to communicate through paper so she could build trust

"Hi Ciara" Peter smiles wrapping his arm around Carla's shoulders

"So then, I heard you wanted to come back and speak to me from Scott"

"Yeah I guess" Carla whispers, struggling to find the confidence to talk about the situation

"Why don't you start from where we left off last time?" Ciara suggests

"Well we went to Venice didn't we?" Carla smiles look at Peter a memory which was a welcome reminder in her mind

"Yeah and what did we do in Venice?" he prompts cautiously knowing what he said seemed a bit patronising

"Chilled on the beach, had a family meal went on one of those boat ride thingys" she smiles at the recollection of memories in her mind

"That sounds amazing, I wish I could go to Venice" Ciara smiles

"It really was amazing, one of the best times of our lives" Carla grins at Peter "Then we came home early"

"Oh why's that then?" Ciara asks continuing the conversation

"I wasn't really coping too well in an environment I wasn't used to" Carla sighs picking away at her nails as Peter pulls her in for a hug

"Do you have any idea why?"

"No, not really it kind of just happened, I know I'll probably anxious every now and then but I don't know" she shrugs refusing to give eye contact

"I thought it was because we didn't use the correct methods of communication, so I tried to use them with her and it didn't really work did it?" Peter smiles

"Then I wanted to go home" she says, finally looking up at Ciara

"That was a good decision to make, you made the right decision for you and I'm sure Peter was very proud of you for doing that, I know I am"

"I was very proud of her" he smiles kissing her forehead

"Anything else?"

"We got home and I guess I kind of just felt suffocated I don't know, then I stormed off, went to collect my meds for something to do, clear my head, I remembered that was one of the steps from Carlisle" she sighs going back to pick away at her hands

"Try not to do that Carla, why don't you play with this if you want to do something with your hands" Ciara says grabbing a stress ball from one of the baskets on the table "Anyway it was good that you remembered one of the steps"

"Yeah then Michelle came to join me on the bench where I was sitting, then I told her I might be pregnant" Carla sighs squishing the stress ball in her hand digging her nails into it watching as they left little indents in it

"Ok that must've been a big shock, how did you cope with that?"

"Well we talked about having kids didn't we but not this soon maybe in the future, so it was a bit of a shock that the future I wanted could quickly become a reality"

"She handled it really well, she spoke with Michelle didn't you, about your concerns?" Peter smiles prompting her to continue and not think about the anxious feelings she experienced that day

"Yeah I felt really calm afterwards then she rang Peter and then we talked then I took the test which came out positive"

"How did you feel after that?"

"Excited, nervous, that I had a second chance" she sighs

"You don't sound too convinced…" Ciara starts

"Well you wouldn't be if you had a miscarriage before and lost your daughter, scared of it happening again" she snaps getting up off the sofa and going to look out of the window

"Carla why don't you take a seat? We can talk about it if you want, or we can do something else, chill if you'd prefer" Ciara says calmly not moving from her position

"Why should I?" Carla asks incredulously

"I thought you wanted to speak to me, remember? That's why we scheduled these appointments?"

"True, but I'm not talking about my daughter"

"Ok we don't have to if you don't want to, I would never force that on you Carla" Ciara smiles reassuringly writing notes on her notepad

"What are you writing?" Carla asks

"Everything that's gone on in the meeting, so I know where we started and left off, you can have a look if you like" Ciara smiles gesturing for her to take the notepad

"Thank you" Carla grins sarcastically reading through Ciara's notes

"You alright?" Peter questions rubbing her back noticing her flicking through the pages

"Oh, I thought that…nevermind" Carla sighs handing Ciara her notepad back

"You thought what Carla?" Ciara prompts

"Maybe you were plotting or something"

"Carla I'm here to work with you not against you, remember? Why don't you go home, you've had a stressful time in here today and I'll see you again next week"

"I'll take her home" Peter smiles

"Can we stop off at the shop, I need food" Carla huffs still trying to satisfy her craving from the morning

"Whatever you want" he laughs taking her hand

* * *

They both return from going shopping, mainly to satisfy Carla's cravings and to collect food for tonight, something simple to eat. Peter was determined to make Carla comfortable after having a rough session of counselling, he always knew the first session would be the hardest, building up trust again, well it wasn't that she didn't trust Ciara it was more about the opening up about her fears, he wanted this to work for her so that she could feel better about herself but he knew it would take time.

"Right, bowel of popcorn for you, as well as these grapes you wanted but don't even like and a hot water bottle. Anything else?" he smiles kissing her forehead as she lays out on the sofa

"Chocolate?" she grins excited about one of her cravings being fulfilled

"I can nip to Dev's see if he has any, will you be ok?"

"Yeah I'll just put the shopping channel on, then you can have a look at my list" she smiles picking up the notepad from the table

"I'll be right back then, be good and try not to bankrupt me" he says tapping her nose as she wrinkles it

"Ugh" she sighs having eaten the popcorn, rushing to the bathroom to throw it up leaning against the bath tub for 10 minutes or so not even bothering to get up

"Carla?" Peter questions, a bag in his hand full of possible foods she might crave over the course of the night

"In here" she shouts

"Oh what set that off then?" Peter sighs sitting next to her on the floor

"Apparently the baby isn't a fan of toffee popcorn" she sighs "I'm craving popcorn so badly as well, how does this even work"

"I don't know"

"Do you have my chocolate?" she smiles

"I don't think you should have any of that because you've just been sick" Peter sighs kissing her forehead

"Please, I'm desperate for it, I won't eat it all, pretty please" she begs

"One square, if you're sick you're not getting any more" Peter scolds gently getting it out of the bag, unwrapping it and giving her a square

"This tastes so good, you have no clue"

"Well I got the most expensive one I could find, so you better be grateful"

"Trust me I am and so is your child, can I have some more?" she grins hopeful that Peter will give her some, otherwise she would have to wrestle him for it

"No not until I know you're not going to be sick because of it"

"Dad I'm home!" Simon shouts placing his bag on the kitchen counter

"Hi Si" he shouts

"Where even are you?" Simon questions looking around the place

"In the bathroom, with Carla"

"Oh hi, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he asks cautiously knowing that Carla could be having a panic attack or something and he wouldn't want to make the situation any worse than it had to be

"No don't worry, anything you want?"

"Can I have that popcorn on the coffee table, I'm starving" he grins

"Ugh" Carla sighs throwing up in the toilet again

"Yeah go ahead son, eat it all to stop madam here throwing up" he retorts receiving a glare off Carla

"Why are there grapes all over the sofa?" Simon shouts from the living room before appearing in the doorway with the popcorn bowel shoving a handful into his mouth

"Because I spilt them all over the sofa when this annoyance of a baby made me chuck the flaming popcorn up, can you not crunch that please" she begs and Simon grins finding it hilarious

"Sorry, it tastes good" he shrugs

"I know it does, and I really want some but I can't have some without it ending up in the toilet, Peter this is hell" she moans

"Maybe you're craving toffee?" Peter suggests brushing her hair with the hair brush which was on the side of the bath

"That's a point… but I can't be bothered anymore" she groans rubbing her stomach

"Has it started moving yet?" Simon asks, actually showing an interest for once

"No, ugh that will be so annoying when that happens" she groans picking up the chocolate bar and taking another square

"Why are you eating chocolate, you hate chocolate" Simon frowns still crunching the popcorn in his mouth

"Do you know the pain I've been through today Si, first your dad wouldn't put the correct topping on my cornflakes-"

"Uh, you said you wanted honey, so I put honey on it"

"Yes well it was wrong so I got the whole jar of marmalade and ate a massive spoonful of that-"

"Then I told you to stop because you would've probably been sick 5 times then we would've never got out the door" he sighs

"Then I moaned about how I needed this mystery food for like ages because it wasn't marmalade, and it made me really grumpy" Carla grins

"Rather you than me dad" Simon grins

"You think this is funny? Wait until you get someone up the duff, you won't be laughing then, anyway how is your love life?"

"You told her?" Simon gasps

"I'm sorry she literally would've beaten it out of me" Peter grins

"Wow, great now I'm going to have her teasing me and you" Simon sighs

"Serves you right for torturing me with that popcorn, anyway it was just kiss not a big deal really" she grins excited at the fact she could wind Simon up so easily

"Yes well he isn't meant to be dating anyone until he's 18"

"Oh leave off Peter, it's not like you weren't doing things at his age back then, have you guys had 'the talk' yet?"

"Oh shut it, I'm watching TV" Simon huffs and Carla bursts out laughing

"You need to get off this floor otherwise you're going to do your back in" Peter sighs standing up to help her up

"Ta, come cuddle with me on the sofa" she grins following him into the kitchen

"Ok come on then"

"Peter" she whines

"What now?" he smiles lifting her up and placing her on the kitchen counter, which she giggles to, whilst he makes a cup of tea

"Please can I have the chocolate, I'm done being sick now"

"Fine, but I'm placing the bucket on the floor" he says handing her the bar "Do you want a drink?"

"Glass of red will do" she grins tilting her head to one side, taking a bite of Dev's finest chocolate, receiving an amused head shake from Peter

"Very funny, how about some grape juice?" he smiles knowing that Carla was craving grapes

"Alright, Si is there anything good to watch?"

"Not really, we could play monopoly" he suggests secretly wanting to beat Carla

"I'm a bit tired for that, maybe tomorrow your sibling's ruining my energy levels, can we watch a Romcom?"

"You're kidding right?" Simons eyes widen

"No… Love Actually is a good one" she grins swinging her legs as they hang off the counter

"No we're not watching that load of rubbish at least watch a proper film" Peter smirks pouring the water into the mug

"50 shades of grey?" she smirks

"He's sixteen Carla"

"So? Oh come on, then you two can have 'the talk' it'll be fun"

"I don't know if I want to watch it to be honest…" Simon trails off, grimacing at the thought

"Spoil sports" Carla says sticking her tongue out at Simon

"I know, we can watch Jurassic Park, that's on at 8 I'm pretty sure" Simon says picking up the TV magazine from the coffee table and going to today's date

"Fine" she huffs sliding off the counter to sit on the sofa with Simon "Budge up" she says nudging him in the arm

"Um excuse me?" he retorts incredulously

"Si, I'm a pregnant woman I need to get comfortable, you'll have all this to come if you ask that girl out, could be a match made in heaven" she shrugs

"You never stop do you?"

"No, I'm having fun" she grins

"This is going to be a long night…"

* * *

**I don't know how I feel about doing Carla's counselling sessions, I kind of wanted to explore her inner turmoil but I'll see what happens, this might be a one off if no one likes it :/**


	14. Chapter 14

**I guess this classifies as mild themes of loss, but otherwise I hope you enjoy**

* * *

**21st November 2019**

They went to sleep about 10 last night, Carla falling asleep on Peter around 9 halfway through the film, so he carried her to bed, undressing her knowing she would be more comfortable in an old t-shirt of his rather than her day clothes, he did this somewhat effortlessly, trying not to wake her from her peaceful sleep. It was around 2am when Peter woke up to go to the loo, Carla wasn't in the bed next to him, he heard muffled cries coming from the corner of the room.

"Car?"

"Don't"

"Can I turn the light on?"

"No"

"Come back to bed, you're going to be cold sitting there and that's not good for you" he sighs taking a seat next to her

"No I need to stay awake"

"Why?" he prompts

"In case something happens, you never know what could happen Peter" she sighs getting worked up

"Like what?" he prompts again knowing that she could get annoyed very quickly, more quickly than usual

"People plotting" she huffs getting up and moving to the lounge sitting in the armchair

"Tell me what's going on in your head, I want to help" he sighs sitting on the sofa

"How does she do it?"

"You've lost me, love"

"Ciara, every time she gets me so wound up but I just feel nothing no pain, no heartache, how does that work?"

"I don't know, maybe you're finally coming to terms with things" he shrugs unable to give a suitable explanation which would probably just anger her more, but he couldn't think something up on the spot

"Oh hardly Peter, talking about our daughter like that, it's always made me feel bad, angry how come I can just feel nothing all of a sudden?"

"How do you want to feel about it then?"

"I don't want to talk about it" she shivers

"Car, can you please at least wrap this blanket around you, I don't want you to be ill" Peter sighs throwing her the blanket

"I miss her Peter"

"I know you-"

"No my heart aches for her, I needed her she might've saved us I don't want to replace her"

"Oh Carla I wish I didn't put you through all the stress"

"Did you ever think about her?"

"Yes, she would've been your double, feisty, outspoken at times, funny but also kind, caring and she would've had a good heart just like you" he smiles kneeling down in front of her taking one of her hands in his "What about you? What do you think she would've looked like? Been like?"

"My feistiness, how could a kid of ours not have that, dark brown hair, your eyes and that cheeky grin you have, plastered on her face when she would get into trouble which would no doubt melt my heart, she would've loved Si, and Si would've loved her wanted to protect his little sister, it's a shame he didn't get to meet her, she would be five now starting school and I would kill to meet her little friends, get to know her teacher, find out whether she would've been academic or creative, not that it matters but either way I would love her so much Peter, so much" she cries as he holds her close, he knew this would happen, the outcome of counselling, no matter how delayed it was, he knew these feelings would be stirred up

"But do you want to know something Car?"

"What?" she sniffles

"This little one in here" he starts placing a hand on her bump "is never going to replace her because she was our special little girl, only we know about her which makes it extra special because we can share memories only we know about her, we probably don't talk about her enough but let's change that now from this day, mention her every now and then talk about her like she's still part of the family"

"Hang on a minute" she smiles going into the bedroom, getting a box out of the bed returning with it in her hands

"Is that, her stuff?"

"Yeah" Carla smiles tearfully taking the lid off the box

"I forgot about these" he smiles taking the sonogram pictures out of the box and admiring them, the only visual thing that was left of their daughter

"I miss her so much" she smiles holding one tracing over her late daughters features

"Come here" he says wrapping her in a hug

"It's late"

"Mhm but I'm happy to stay up if you're not tired or you're scared" he says placing both of his hands on her stomach

"This is going to be one big baby" she groans at the thought

"You've just been eating too much chocolate" he grins tilting his head to side

"I feel so fat already"

"You're pregnant, that's a good thing" he says kissing her forehead, pulling her close

"Yeah" she smiles placing a kiss on his lips "I need to go shopping for some maternity clothes but I'm scared"

"About going out?" he assumes

"Yeah, I've been so lucky, not had any panic attacks it's just the fear of the unknown"

"Why don't both me and Michelle come with you, that way we can help you if you feel scared, anxious or unhappy about anything, we can ask her when-" he starts trying to find a solution to the issue she had

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Si, listen now's not a good time"

"No it never will be will it dad? Why do you all keep secrets from me, I'm not a kid" he replies angrily, actually proving a point in this argument which Peter was somewhat fond of

"It's ok Peter, Si take a seat" Carla says going to sit next to him

"Carla you don't have to do this…" Peter starts knowing that this could really mess her emotions up for the remainder of the night

"I do, he deserves to know what happened"

"I've heard everything, but why keep it from me?"

"Because you were young at the time Si, it wasn't your problem, I was under so much stress, she couldn't survive that" Carla smiles putting an arm around his shoulder

"When was she due?"

"November 2014"

"When did she…" he starts not wanting to say the crass words which were about to come out of his mouth

"June that year"

"I'm sorry"

"You have nothing to be sorry for" Carla sighs kissing him on the side of his head

"I do, maybe if I was nicer to you she would've made it" he says tearfully

"You can't think that way Si, she wasn't ready to face the world and I don't think I would have wanted to bring her up in that environment, you know what it was like it wasn't fair on you, and it certainly wouldn't be fair on her" Carla says picking up one of the sonogram photos

"This is all we have left of her, and her teddy I bought her" Carla smiles handing him the picture

"I would've protected her y'know" he smiles looking at Carla then back down at the picture

"I know you would've been the best big brother she could ever have, but you can still be a big brother, to her, in spirit but to this one as well" she smiles placing a hand on her stomach

"You see Si, sometimes we just want to protect you from upset" Peter smiles

"It's just annoying when you keep secrets, that's all"

"I know but now you're older you can be told these things"

"I have an idea" Simon grins

"Ok, shoot" Carla frowns unsure of what he will suggest

"Let's frame this, she can be part of the family, we can take her on holidays, Christmas she'll be here with us along with the other baby"

"I think, that's a wonderful idea, why don't we give you some money and you can buy a frame, something which you think will represent her, a present from you to her" Carla replies touched at his kindness

"Does she have a name?" Simon asks still transfixed with the picture

"No, we don't really talk about her to be honest" Carla sighs

"Why?"

"Well it was a bad time for me and your dad, we just didn't get a chance I guess" she shrugs

"Can we name her, together?"

"If you want, do you have any names in mind then?"

"I've always liked the name Francesca" Peter smiles

"I don't know…I feel it doesn't represent her, she was so pure you know" Simon blushes slightly after being nudged by Carla

"Eloise?" Carla suggests "It can be shortened to Ellie?"

"That's nice" Peter smiles looking at Carla

"How about Hayley, you know after Roy's Hayley?" Carla suggests

"That's a good idea?" Peter grins putting one of his arms around Simon

"I like it!" Simon beams "It's traditional"

"Hmm Hayley Barlow" Carla grins

"Barlow?" Simon frowns, confused because his dad and Carla weren't married

"Yeah she would've been a Barlow" Carla grins smirking at Peter

"I think that's perfect" Peter smiles

"I love it" Carla smiles holding the sonogram photo in her hand

"And Si, if you ever want to talk, I'm always here for you, you know that?" Carla smiles

"Yeah, thank you for being honest with me" he smiles before heading off into his bedroom

"I am so proud of you" Peter smiles

"I'm proud of me as well"

"We need to talk about why you think people are plotting as well" he smiles kissing her on the head

"I just feel like everything's against me right now, maybe this pregnancy is making me feel differently about things, I asked 'Chelle if that was normal but she didn't really have an answer for me, well she did but I wasn't satisfied with it and I guess that kind of got me a bit worked up" she shrugs unable to think of an explanation

"Why didn't you say? Why don't I hold you for a bit, you might drop off, you look tired and considering you've just been talking about your emotions and feelings I don't want to push anything with you" he sighs noticing her trying not to get worked up

"I just need to figure out what's going on inside my head for myself before I can speak about it. Can we stay here? I can't be bothered to move" she moans leaning on him as they lay on the sofa

"I think you should move, I don't want you to get a sore back, I'll carry you" he grins picking her up and taking her into the bedroom and placing her on the bed

"Thank you, baby"

"No, thank you"

"What for?"

"For carrying my child, for being honest about the way you're feeling"

"I trust you with my life, I'm fed up with trying to put on a front, it's exhausting" Carla sighs wrapping the duvet around her

"Is that why you don't want to go out, because you find it tiring as you would have to put up a front?" he asks carefully

"Yes, I guess but when I'm with you I feel invincible, you're like my front in a way, you protect me, make sure I'm ok, and I love you for that"

"Ok so here's the plan, me, you and 'Chelle are going to go out tomorrow and for the rest of today we're going to chill in bed because you've been up all night practically, I'll send her a text now so she definitely gets it, and we're going to go shopping because you need some maternity clothes and if you feel scared we can come home because I don't want to put you through those feelings, then we can write them down and speak to Ciara and Scott about them, how does that sound?"

"That sounds, amazing"

"Ok good, get some sleep, I'm here I won't leave you" he smiles wrapping her in a hug

"Goodnight, I love you"

"I love you too"

* * *

**I thought it was a good idea to show Simon's maturity as well as his friendship with Carla**


	15. Chapter 15

**I went a little overboard so a rating change to T is happening, hope you enjoy**

* * *

**22nd November 2019**

Peter, Michelle and Carla were heading out shopping for the day hoping to buy some maternity clothes for Carla, she wanted Michelle along because she would know what to buy so Carla didn't have to deal with the awkward questions from the sales assistants and make small talk which really annoyed her at the best of times. Peter was there in case she wanted to go home, they talked about trivial things for most of the day making general conversation which Carla didn't mind too much, especially if it was with Peter and Michelle, she felt safe talking to them about things which may concern her as well as being able to make jokes with them and have a genuinely good time.

"Right first stop, Mothercare, trust me this shop is a life saver" Michelle grins pulling the car into a parking space

"Do I have to promote you to project manager of 'Carla's maternity shopping trip 2019' because that's the vibe I'm getting here" she grins sarcastically raising her eyebrows

"Oh very funny, if you don't want my input then I can leave you to it…"

"Nope you're coming to share the burden with me" Peter retorts

"So your unborn child is a burden now, wow" Carla gasps sarcastically trying to wind him up and tease him all in one which Michelle found really amusing

"Oh shut it you and get out of the car" Peter says nudging her towards the door

"Let me get a ticket and then we'll head in, Peter can be promoted to bag carrier" Michelle grins as Peter rolls his eyes knowing that if Michelle and Carla were on form with their humour he would be smothered in it

"Hey, this was your idea, not mine" Carla says holding her hands up in defence

"At least I got a promotion, I guess that's got to count for something? Right?"

"Oh baby, I'm so proud of you!" she exclaims sarcastically trying to annoy him with her sarcasm

"Right come on loves young dream"

"What are you looking for then?" Peter asks as both Carla and Michelle look through racks of clothes finding some which are suitable enough for Carla's standards which was hard on a daily basis

"Clothes which fit Peter" Carla frowns as if it was obvious, she wasn't even being humorous this time

"Right you're getting 5 pairs of these so you don't steal mine" Michelle says loading maternity leggings into the basket Peter was carrying

"I might need a dress for Christmas, depending on what we're doing" she suggests knowing that she would be roped into going to Ken's or Johnny's especially if Kate was coming back

"Hmm this ones nice" Michelle says holding up a simple black dress which was stretchy but also stylish

"Yeah I like that one, and the colour is perfect" Carla says feeling the material in her hand "And stretchy so I could get some wear out of it"

"Carla it's black, how can black be perfect" Peter laughs confused at how a shade which isn't a colour can be perfect but received a glare off Carla

"Black is such a good colour, you can wear it with anything" she grins placing it in the basket excitedly

"Are you going to breast feed?" Michelle asks looking through some of the racks of clothes

"I don't know just taking things as they come really, trying not to get too stressed out"

"You can put these in here as well" Michelle says placing some jeans in the basket changing the subject in case it was a sensitive one

"It's mainly trousers I need now, I can come back another time to get some tops if I need them" Carla smiles looking through the racks at the tops but none of them take her fancy

"Alright, I'll go and pay then, you two go and sit in the car" Peter grins heading off to the checkout

"So then, what do you want to do now?" Michelle asks as they walk to the car, unlocking it and getting in

"We could go for a drink in the Rover's see if Johnny and Jenny would like to join us?" Carla suggests trying to think of something positive to do hopefully reducing her anxiety

"Are you sure, you don't have to say that to please us you know" Michelle smiles in case Carla was trying to hid her true feelings about the situation

"I do, I want to go" she says firmly trying to convince Michelle she will be alright, when in reality she was scared about the situation and she could probably guess how the experience will go

"Do you want me to put these bags in the boot Michelle?"

"If you wouldn't mind"

* * *

They head back home so that they could have a drink in the Rover's. Peter was apprehensive about how Carla would cope but he still wanted to give her a chance and insisted that if she felt uneasy she would tell him before things got too bad, he was proud at her for coping when out shopping and hoped that it would give her a confidence boost for going out on her own but also scared in case if someone tried to join them she would freak out and struggle.

"Oh hi Carla" Jenny smiles placing an orange juice on the bar for her, assuming that's what she wanted to drink

"A mind reader are we Jenny?" Carla smirks slightly

"I just assumed I can take it back if you don't want it" Jenny smiles

"No it's fine, I'll drink it if Carla doesn't want it" Peter grins grasping hold of Carla's hand hoping to give her some comfort

"Could I have a water then?" Carla says fiddling with one of the paper coasters on the bar, weaving it between her fingers, distracting the uneasy feelings which were starting to occur in her body "Oh and a glass of red for 'Chelle"

"Coming right up" Jenny beams, going to grab a glass and fill it with tap water

"Let me know if you want to go ok and we'll go" Peter smiles leading Carla to one of the empty tables

"Hi guys, mind if we join you?" Maria asks with Ali by her side

"Sure, I don't see why not" Carla shrugs

"So then what's new with you guys?" Maria questions as Ali orders her a drink

"Nothing much really, we went shopping today and that's about it" Peter replies putting an arm around Carla's shoulder hoping to provide her with some comfort knowing that if uncomfortable subjects were to come up she would need this

"Oh hi, I didn't know you guys were joining?" Michelle frowns sitting next to Carla, unsure of how she would cope speaking to them both

"We were just passing, Emma's looking after Liam so we decided we might come here for a drink, then we saw these two here and decided to join them" Maria states gesturing to Peter and Carla

"Oh right, the more the merrier I guess" Michelle shrugs taking a sip of her wine watching Carla pick away at her hands, an obvious sign that she may be struggling with the situation, she tries to hint to Peter but he doesn't pick up on it as he was in deep conversation with Ali, so she holds one of her hands under the table hoping to provide some comfort

"I need to go" Carla says frantically trying to get up and get past Michelle

"Shh you're ok, let's go through the back ey?" Peter suggests glancing to Michelle to help reinforce the decision as Carla clings on to him

"Jenny can we use the back room?" Michelle asks desperately

"Yeah sure go ahead, Johnny's back there so be warned he might go a little overboard" Jenny smiles reassuringly looking at how Carla's clinging on to Peter

"Thanks" Michelle sighs, knowing that she would have to convince Johnny that this was normal and part of her recovery, as Peter follows her still holding onto Carla

"Oh hi Michelle" Johnny frowns noticing Michelle stepping into the room

"Just don't say anything ok, I mean it just go with it" Michelle sighs stepping aside for Peter to bring Carla in

"Come on take a seat with me, eh?" Peter says as he sits on the sofa watching Carla pace up and down

"Is this normal?" Johnny whispers to Michelle

"Shh let Peter do what he needs to" Michelle sighs getting annoyed with Johnny when Peter's trying to calm Carla down

"She's my daughter, Michelle" Johnny huffs clearly annoyed that he can't interfere receiving a glare off Peter

"Carla, speak to me" Peter smiles "Come and take a seat, eh?"

"Is everything ok in here?" Ali asks popping his head around the door and Michelle just nods hoping that people would stop interfering

"I need space, can we go Peter, I want to go home" she pleads clearly agitated by Johnny watching her

"Carla you know I can't risk that right now, not until you've calmed down, do your breathing exercises Scott taught you"

"It feels like my heads going to explode, I can't" she panics running her hands through her hair

"Ok, look at me" he says holding her by her shoulders, he knew he shouldn't have instigated physical contact without her permission but she accepted anyway, her green eyes stare into his trying to find the comfort she needs

"Copy my breathing, remember we did this in the unit?" he says trying to keep her calm as she just nods frantically, Michelle and Johnny watching on as she hugs him, finally calmer than she was before

"Carla you're safe here" Johnny reaches the end of his tether and decides to sit next to her and Peter which freaks her out

"Now look what you've done" Michelle sighs clearly trying to keep her anger under control running a hand over her face in pure exasperation

"Carla I'm your dad I should be able to help you" he sighs annoyed that he can't be there for his daughter

"Peter make it stop, please" Carla cries holding on to him as if her life depended on it

"Michelle can you get him away from her, please" Peter asks kissing Carla on the head, stroking her hair as she cries

"Come on, Johnny leave them to it eh?" Michelle says prying him away from them both leading him to the bar

"Sorry about that sweetheart" Michelle sighs kneeling down in front of Carla returning to the room

"Carla look at your hands" Michelle sighs holding them noticing some of her fingers were bleeding from where she was picking away at them earlier she quickly hid them away so she couldn't see what her anxiety inflicted on her

"Can I have a look Car?" Peter asks and she shakes her head

"Maybe we should ring Scott, she has just hurt herself?" Michelle suggests getting a bowel of warm water and some cotton wool from the medical cabinet

"Hm what's the time?"

"Almost 6, I can't believe we've almost been here three hours"

"Well poor Carla probably thinks she's been here for longer than that, Scott's gone off shift for the night so I doubt I would be able to go hold of him, she's got counselling tomorrow maybe we can speak to Ciara about it" Peter sighs still stroking her hair

"Hey Car, can I clean your hands up?" Michelle asks and Carla nods, slowly giving one of her hands to Michelle, as both Peter and Michelle exchange looks

"Do you want to go home now, I think you've calmed down quite a bit haven't you?" Peter smiles kissing her head

"Michelle" she whispers

"Yeah?" Michelle smiles

"Come?" she whispers again looking at Michelle with pleading eyes

"I will, do you want to go now?" Michelle asks and she just nods "Come on then, I won't hold your hand in case I hurt you"

"I might get Simon to see if he'll stay at Leanne's tonight, I feel she may need some space" Peter sighs getting out his phone to ring Simon as they walk along the street to the flat

"Home sweet home" Peter smiles slightly

"Right what do you want to do, your choice" Michelle smiles looking at Carla

"Shall we do our routine?" Peter smiles taking her hand gently into his ready to start her calming down routine which they usually do together after a bad day

"Do you need me to do anything?" Michelle asks

"If you could run a bath, that would help, put the lavender muscle soak in it, that should help calm her down"

"Can I have my fluffy hoody?" Carla whispers

"It's on the back of the bathroom door, how about you put it on after your bath?" he suggests and she nods grabbing some pyjamas out of the drawer

"Do you want me to stay?" Peter asks entering the bathroom with her

"Yes"

"Ok then you get in and I'll wash your hair, Michelle's in the living room ok so she's not going anywhere" he smiles helping her undress and helping her to get in the bath

"What shampoo do you want to use?" Peter asks getting out the shower caddy from the cupboard under the sink, where she had an abundance of shampoos stored

"This one" she says handing him the bottle as he dollops it into his hand, massaging her head making sure he lathers all her hair before washing it out

"Conditioner?"

"This one"

"Is that ok?" he asks and she nods, still feeling a little spaced out, as he washes it out

"Let's put these pyjamas on you eh?" Peter smiles handing her the bottoms as she slides them on then the vest top she chose to go with them, before putting her fluffy hoody on, wrapping her hair up in a towel

"Shall we get you into bed then?" he asks holding his hand out for her to take, she hesitates at first but then accepts it placing her hand in his as he takes her into the bedroom followed by Michelle

"Do you want anything?" Peter questions placing the duvet over her

"Hot water bottle, my blanket, do you have any crackers?"

"I'll go and get them, you stay here" Michelle smiles leaving the room as Peter slides into bed beside her

"Do you want to watch the shopping channel, I know you like that"

"Ok"

"Here's your stuff" Michelle smiles screwing up the lid of the hot water bottle and passing it to her

"Try and get some sleep, I'm here I'm not leaving you" he smiles as she snuggles down into bed closing her eyes

"What are we going to do Peter?" Michelle whispers "I don't mind staying the night"

"Ok why don't we take it in shifts, you sleep for the first half then I sleep for the second" he suggests

"Ok, I'll nip up and get some stuff for the night, will you be alright?" Michelle asks and he nods still cuddling Carla

"We should be fine" Peter smiles, holding Carla close to him

"I'll be right back then" Michelle smiles "Do I need to pop in and see Simon, in case he needs anything?"

"If you wouldn't mind"

"I'll see you in a bit"

"Peter?" Carla whispers hesitantly

"Yeah?" he smiles allowing her to turn and face him

"Why did that happen?"

"I don't know, we can speak to Ciara about it tomorrow, can't we?"

"Yeah its just confusing" she yawns, bringing her hands up to look at them, biting her lip in the process, something she usually did when she felt guilty about something

"Can I have a look, I won't hurt you" Peter asks and she places her hand in his as he takes a look at her ripped skin, speckles of blood still staining them ever so slightly

"Hiya I'm not interrupting am I?" Michelle smiles taking a seat on the end of the bed

"I'm just having a look at your hands aren't I?"

"Yeah" she smiles slightly looking at Michelle

"Was Si alright?" Peter asks as Carla snuggles back down into bed, closing her eyes trying to sleep

"I told him to try not to fall out with Leanne as he probably wouldn't be able to come back here"

"Thanks Michelle I owe you one" he smiles as Carla jumps

"You alright?"

"I can't close my eyes, I'm too scared, I'm sorry" she panics

"Hey it's alright, what do you want us to do?"

"Hold me"

"I'm here"


	16. Chapter 16

**23rd November**

Peter and Michelle took it in shifts throughout the night to watch Carla sleep in case she woke, Peter doing the first half of the night and Michelle doing the second, this was so both of them could get a somewhat decent night sleep as well as ensuring Carla was safe. Carla woke two or three times in the night seeking reassurance from either Peter or Michelle, whoever was watching her at the time. Both Peter and Michelle knew that today would be particularly hard so Peter got up early and rang Scott to see if he could urgently see her in the morning.

"Car, Scott's here to see you" Peter smiles entering the room Scott behind him

"Sorry I'm not dressed"

"It's ok I understand you had a difficult night" Scott smiles taking a seat on the armchair next to the bed "Want to tell me what happened?"

"Well I think I may have pushed myself a bit too much" she shrugs as Peter sits on the bottom of the bed, holding her hand gently ensuring he didn't cause her any pain after last night's episode of anxiety

"Ok, that's really good you've recognised that, is there anything else?" Scott says leaving it open to bring up a topic herself, in case there was something prominent on her mind

"I don't know, I guess maybe we shouldn't have gone to the Rover's yesterday, it was too soon"

"Ok why do you say that?"

"I guess, well I was alright out shopping with Michelle and Peter, then it all started to go wrong when we went to the Rover's" she sighs, not really wanting to continue with the conversation

"I think maybe you did push yourself too much and I'm guessing you had really bad anxiety, am I right?" Scott asks writing notes on his notepad

"Yeah, I started picking away at my hands and I actually made them bleed, I guess I should've bought something to fiddle with to distract me" she replies holding her hands out for Scott to look at

"Do you remember doing that?" Scott questions

"Kind of, I remember Michelle cleaning them up and I let her do that, I was hesitant at first but Johnny was trying to help and he didn't really know how to help me properly and that made me more agitated, on-edge"

"Ah so someone interfered in your routine, is that what you're saying?" he asks and she nods "That probably didn't help, how did you all handle that?"

"Well I removed Johnny from the situation, I understand where he was coming from he lost his son from suicide" Michelle sighs remembering the events from last night trying to realise if she did anything wrong

"I'm really glad you're being honest with me Carla, all of you, I'm guessing you came back home after?" Scott prompts hoping to continue the conversation after noticing Carla's reluctance before

"Yeah, I got Simon to stay at his Mum's for the night to give Carla some space, you woke up a few times in the night didn't you?" Peter replies holding Carla's hand to give her some comfort

"Mmm Michelle and Peter took it in turns to look out for me, I didn't really sleep too good though, very lightly" she describes trying to remember the brief times she woke up in the night

"You tried a different routine, I'm guessing when you came home?"

"Yep, I had a bath with the muscle soak to relax then got dressed into some pyjamas then got into bed with my hot water bottle and blanket" she grins remembering the events from last night which relieved Peter

"Did it work ok?" Scott asks continuing to write notes which Carla wasn't fussed about, for once

"I feel like it needed something more, but I didn't know what to do" Peter chips in

"Ok, you have Ciara today don't you?"

"Mmm yeah at 2 I think" Carla smiles glancing at Peter who nods

"Right, how about I go and scan my notes and then I can fill Ciara in so you don't take up all the session with recapping" Scott suggests hoping this will ease Carla's anxiety with having to recap everything from the previous day twice today

"Thank you, I just don't really want to live it again twice in one day, if you know what I mean" Carla smiles

"It's understandable, I also want to increase your medication a bit again, but I need to do a blood test so I just thought I'd warn you, I'll get Ciara to give you the blood test slip" he smiles packing up his stuff

"My head is going to feel like it's floating if I have any more drugs pumped in me" she laughs slightly trying to make humour out of the bad situation she was in

"I'm sorry but just remember to have food with them then you'll be fine, I'm going to head off to scan these notes, so I will see you at two" he smiles "I'll show myself out"

"Hey, I'm so proud of you" Peter smiles bringing her into a hug, stroking her hair providing the comfort she needed

"What for?" she frowns pulling away from his embrace

"For being honest with Scott about everything" he grins, kissing her forehead

"Oh right, it actually helped trusting him, it was weird, I don't know" she shrugs struggling to find an explanation, or unable to put it in to words if it did make sense in her mind

"That's really good, you can try some of your new clothes on if you want" Peter suggests thinking it might boost her mood

"Is there any food, bubba's hungry" she grins patting her stomach

"How is bubba, anyway?" Peter asks placing a hand on her bump

"Hungry, like I said Peter, keep up" she rolls her eyes a cheeky grin on her face whilst she tilts her head to the side

"What do you want then?" he laughs at how blatant she was being

"Just toast will do" she shrugs

"Do you want Jam, Marmalade, Butter…" he lists

"Nutella, chocolate spread whichever one you have really" she grins "And be quick about it"

"You're the boss" he salutes going into the kitchen

* * *

Carla ate breakfast, then got ready for the day, she put something comfy on so that she would be more relaxed in Ciara's sessions as well as organising her clothes that she bought yesterday. Her and Peter were chilling on the sofa until they needed to leave to go to counselling, Carla snacking on her cravings, and Peter trying to steal food off her which she wasn't happy about, resulting in many poking wars and play fights.

"Was Si ok staying at Leanne's?" Carla asks, leaning against him on the sofa, crunching on some nachos

"I think he was fine, they're bound to fall out every now and then" he says fiddling with her hair weaving it through his fingers, trying to steal a nacho or two but fails when he was being swatted away by Carla's hand

"I don't blame him, I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of Leanne Battersby" she laughs shoving the remaining crumbs from the packet into her mouth

"He's really looking up to you, you know" Peter grins happy that his son and Carla are finally getting on

"I don't know why, I mean I'm a mess right now" she shrugs grabbing a bag of chocolate buttons which were on the sofa and opening them

"You're allowed to be, your body's changing, we understand ok" he smiles kissing her head "Don't eat all of those you'll feel sick from too much sugar"

"But they taste so good"

"What does a craving even do to you, I don't understand how you can eat foods you hate surely your taste buds don't change immediately" he questions confused at the concept of Carla liking foods she normally hates

"The only way I can describe it to you is, you know when you fancy something to eat, like a Chinese takeaway, it's like that but you have to have it instantly otherwise you feel really grumpy and moody if you don't get it" she describes shoving more chocolate buttons into her mouth

"Is that how you feel about the chocolate buttons now?" he grins

"Don't…I'll make you go out and buy another packet, the more you talk about them the more I'll want"

"We'll pick some more up on the way back from counselling"

* * *

A while later they headed to the clinic situated off the hospital where the counselling session would take place, the same familiar stark-white walls increasing Carla's anxiety which she hated but accepted anyway because she knew she needed to get better. Whilst waiting she glanced down to her hands noticing the little cuts that marked them but it was weird she felt nothing towards them, they were practically healed but it was like her brain was picturing them there, she shakes her head to get rid of the thoughts before Ciara called her into the room.

"Hello Carla" Ciara smiles taking a seat opposite the couple

"Hi, has Scott spoken to you?" Carla says getting straight to the point, knowing she really doesn't want to be here right now but at home with Peter chilling on the sofa

"He has and he filled me in about what happened last night, and how well you coped with the situation" she smiles proudly, her work doing justice on Carla

"She did cope very well, except when her father interfered with her but nonetheless she used most of the coping strategies, it took a while but we got there" Peter grins

"You must remember that it doesn't matter how long it takes-"

"As long as you get there in the end" Carla smiles finishing the sentence, she was used to inspirational quotes from being in recovery, she always found things like this cringey but was surprised they actually helped

"I see you remembered" Ciara laughs

"Yeah, sorry" Carla says quietly

"Don't say sorry, it's a good thing you remembered, is there anything you want to talk about?"

"I think we should talk about your hands, Car" Peter smiles taking hold of one running his fingers along her skin trying not to hurt her

"What happened to your hands, can I have a look?" Ciara smiles gently

"Ok" Carla whispers dipping her head, embarrassed about the situation, letting Ciara look at her hands

"Did you pick at them, when you were anxious?" Ciara questions knowing that it would most likely be anxiety based with Carla

"I didn't mean to, it just happened I guess" she shrugs unable to think of an explanation for why she did it

"It's ok to be unsure about why things happen Carla, do you know why things got so bad?" Ciara prompts thinking that there was more to it than meets the eye

"I guess I may have pushed myself a bit far, I don't know" she shrugs still struggling to explain what happened yesterday into her own words although it made perfect sense in her head

"What did you do yesterday then?"

"Peter" Carla says shaking her head not wanting to relive her anxiety

"Carla, you can say what's on your mind, I won't judge you" Ciara smiles but Carla just continued to shake her head, Ciara turns to Peter gesturing for him to continue the conversation

"We went shopping didn't we, that was alright she did really well coping" Peter smiles wrapping an arm around her shoulder "That was until we went for a drink in the Rover's she got really anxious, panicky and that's when she started picking at her hands"

"I see how you think you may have pushed yourself too much Carla, do you know why you wanted to do all these things?" Ciara questions so she could understand why Carla wanted to go out and do things

"I needed maternity clothes, so we went shopping for those…and I guess I felt like doing more so I decided maybe we should go for a drink" she says quietly shrugging her shoulders, stating what was on her mind without needing to go into great detail

"Ok how did you feel when you were out shopping?" Ciara asks trying to pinpoint a sequence of events

"It was fun we had a laugh" she states using a monotone voice, a subtle indication that she doesn't want to continue with the conversation

"And how about when you went for a drink, how did you feel then?"

"I was alright, but then people wanted to join us and it got too much, that's when I started to feel anxious" Carla sighs picking away at her already injured fingers which Ciara immediately notices

"Let's not do that and make it worse, do you want something to fiddle with?" Ciara says bringing out a basket of various items Carla immediately picks up a ball which she shifts around her hands, her leg shaking through nerves

"You alright?" Peter whispers

"I just don't like to relive it" she snaps angrily which Peter is taken aback by

"I don't blame you, it was pretty horrible wasn't it?" Peter smiles running a hand through her hair holding her close to him

"I can see you're getting quite agitated Carla, what's going on inside your head can you describe it to me?" Ciara prompts

"I don't know, I want to stop now" she says glancing to Peter, begging him with her eyes to make this horrible situation which was inflicted on her go away

"I really think we should continue to talk Carla" Ciara persists, she wouldn't usually be forceful with Carla as her mind was still delicate but she needed reassurance that Carla wouldn't inflict injury on herself again

"It just feels like nothing, it feels empty I feel empty I need this to stop Ciara, make it stop please" she gasps tears strolling down her face, staining her cheeks a burden lifted from her shoulders

"Here" Ciara smiles gently placing a box of tissues on the table in front of them "Do these feelings happen every time you feel anxious, Carla?"

"Yeah some are different though, it depends on the situation I think" she sniffles, wiping her eyes

"That must be really scary for you, no wonder you get bad anxiety" Ciara softens, proud at her attempt at pushing Carla to reveal her fears

"It is, I just want to know what sets it off, then it's like I forget because I'm so determined to calm myself down, then I feel really spaced out and tired after" Carla sighs, squishing the stress ball in one hand, Peter holding her other hand

"I think what I want to do right now maybe we should try writing things down so we can speak about them, that way we are making the most of this session so I can work with you to sort those issues out, it also might help you in remembering where these triggers for your anxiety come from and to see if there's a pattern to them"

"Do I need to do anything, to make her more comfortable" Peter asks obviously distraught about what Carla revealed and how he wishes to take her pain away

"Listen to her, if she doesn't want to go out don't force her because that could be one of her triggers, and maybe help Carla find new ways of reducing her anxiety, I know that may sound difficult to do but you'd be surprised at what trying new things can do"

"Thank you Ciara, also do you have the blood test form, Scott said he'd give it to you?" Peter asks

"Yeah, it's in this folder, there's also a template of how I want you to lay out this journal, hopefully that will help a bit" she smiles handing a folder over to Peter "She can keep the stress ball, I think it may come in handy"

"Right shall we head off then?" Peter asks holding Carla's hand

"Yeah"

"I'll see you again next week" Ciara says

* * *

They head home after another difficult counselling session, Peter wasn't surprised that Carla wasn't really speaking that much on the journey home considering she was probably recovering from her counselling ordeal so he wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as she could be, she breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the flat, obviously still trying to stay in control of her anxiety as well as the welcome confidence when in surroundings she knew.

"Right what do you want for dinner?" Peter asks looking through the fridge which Michelle must have stocked up when they were out

"I'm not really that hungry" she shrugs putting on the TV and laying out on the sofa

"You feeling ill?" Peter asks going to sit with her on the sofa allowing her head to lean against his shoulder

"A bit actually" she sighs rubbing her bump trying to ease the feeling of nausea

"Why don't you lay down, you do look a bit pale actually" Peter sighs getting off the sofa and kneeling down in front of her stroking her hair

"Could you lay with me?" she pleads, wanting to feel him close to her, hoping it will make her feel better

"Sure budge up then, it's going to be a squeeze" he grins sliding onto the sofa lying beside her

"Ugh this baby is already taking up too much room, we used to be able to do this with ease" she groans looking up at him

"Are you excited?" Peter whispers placing a hand on her bump

"I can't believe these words are actually going to come out of my mouth but…I'm excited to be a mum" she smiles up at him poking him in the cheek

"I can't believe those words came out your mouth" he raises his eyebrows while she hits his arm playfully

"I'm just worried in case I won't be able to cope, what if I can't look after it properly and I don't get better, this baby will pay the price" she panics slightly as tears fall down her face

"Listen to me, I am here I am not leaving you and I think you'll love this baby so much that you will want to protect it, you'll want to care for it and you will want to be it's mum and I think this baby might make you better without you realising it" he smiles wiping her cheeks for her

"I hope you're right"


	17. Chapter 17

_**Kind of a filler chapter before Christmas, hope you enjoy :) and thank you all for the lovely reviews, don't be afraid to leave them!**_

* * *

**20th December 2019**

Carla had made really good progress since the decision to increase her medication again had been given the go ahead, she was getting out more and doing some admin for Michelle and Robert in the bistro which she wouldn't be seen doing a month or so ago. Peter was proud of her for continuing her treatment plan with Ciara, she had a few panic attacks within the last month but as her medication was increased they had reduced in severity and were easier for them both to manage. Today was extra special as Kate was visiting for Christmas and New Year for two weeks, deciding to come back for a visit when Carla announced her pregnancy.

"Oh god how long was I asleep for?" Carla sighs exiting the bedroom to find Peter and Simon on the sofa watching a Christmas movie

"You need it, don't complain" Peter grins

"Do you have any food?" Carla questions going into the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards, then the fridge, then the freezer

"There should be some stuff in there" he shrugs more interested in the film which was on

"I really want chicken" she frowns rummaging through the fridge digging out a packet of chicken breasts

"Chicken, at 11 in the morning?" Simon questions, grinning at her

"Don't look at me like that" she retorts waving the packet of chicken breasts in the air as Simon struggles to suppress his laughter

"You need to give Kate a lift from the airport" Carla says turning to face Peter pointing the packet at him

"Yes I know, I do remember" he rolls his eyes knowing that if Carla was in a mood for god knows what reason today would be very painful for him

"Good, I'm staying here and me and Si are going to have a movie marathon, aren't we?"

"As if I have a choice, no doubt I'll be asked to buy food for her so I won't even be watching the movies…"

"You want to watch her Si, she'll have you doing a food shop next" Peter teases only to receive a glare off Carla immediately throwing his hands up in defence

"Si what you eating?" Carla asks gliding over to the sofa to see what he was eating, leaving Peter confused as to why she just ditched her conversation with him

"Umm salt and vinegar crisps…" he replies moodily annoyed that she interrupted his film, rolling his eyes

"Can I have some?" she grins tilting her head to the side

"Well these are the last packet and I want them so…" he says glancing down to the packet he was holding

"But Si" Carla begs "Can I have one, just one I won't ask again, please"

"Carla, leave Si alone to eat his crisps and come and help me prepare this chicken"

"I don't want chicken anymore" she shrugs more interested in the packet of crisps Simon was holding

"Dad just go and get her some crisps or something, you can take her with you" Simon begs hoping that Carla would leave him alone

"But I want them now, how about we toss for it?" she grins

"Dad" Simon moans clearly getting annoyed

"Here, Car" Peter grins chucking her a posh packet of balsamic vinegar and sea salt crisps

"What! She gets the posh packet and I get generic old supermarket own brand" Simon huffs

"Well I am carrying your brother or sister so…I think I deserve it" she grins tapping her bump which was a lot more obvious now

"Is this what it's going to be like for the next few months?" Simon groans at the thought continuing to look at the TV

"I guess I better head off to collect Kate, be good both of you and no arguing" Peter scolds gently as they both grin at him

"Right what we watching first?" Carla asks

"I'm a bit bored of watching movies, want to play a game of cards?" he asks finishing off his packet of crisps

"Sure why not" she shrugs as the buzzer goes off "Ugh who's that?"

"Probably dad forgetting his keys" Simon snickers

"Who is it?" Carla calls through the buzzer

"It's Jenny"

"Come up" Carla sighs

"Who is it?" Simon asks shuffling the cards

"Jenny" Carla rolls her eyes clearly unamused which makes Simon laugh

"Hi" Jenny beams "It's just a fleeting visit really, we have a little get together at the bistro, Robert and Michelle are organising it tonight so you're all invited if you're up to coming, there'll be wine" she beams

"Pregnant" Carla grins sarcastically pointing to her bump tilting her head to the side

"Oh yeah, I forgot, whoopsies, anyway see you later" she waves leaving the flat

"Did she just call you fat?" Simon asks

"Oh I don't even know anymore" Carla groans obviously annoyed at being interrupted

* * *

Peter arrived at the airport to pick Kate up, he was waiting at the arrivals gate for around 5 minutes, a takeaway coffee in his hands as he waited to help Kate with her luggage. Kate appeared about 15 minutes after he arrived, taking her case as she carried her carry-on.

"I hear a congratulations are in order for you" Kate grins

"Don't get me started, she's in a foul mood at the moment, I think it's hormones" Peter grins shaking his head

"She's moody in general, so I feel for you, I can't wait to see her" Kate beams excited about seeing Carla pregnant and hearing all the stories about what's been going on whilst she's been away

"You staying with your dad?" Peter questions

"No he has tenants in the spare room so it's a hotel for me, probably best to be honest so I don't have to hear him and Jenny having petty domestics" she rolls her eyes at the thought of it, although she somewhat missed it

"You can stay with us, we have the spare room" Peter suggests

"What about Simon though?" Kate questions not wanting him to feel pushed out

"Don't worry about him, he's staying with Leanne at the moment so it's free, and also you can help share the burden of Carla's cravings, hormones and grumpiness" he grins sarcastically

"She can't be that bad, surely" Kate laughs shaking her head in amusement

"So get this, she wakes up at 11 this morning wanting chicken, gets bored with it then starts winding Simon up asking him for his crisps, generally pestering him so I had to dig out the posh crisps just so world war three didn't start" Peter rolls his eyes as Kate howls with laughter

"What's she craving at the moment?" Kate asks excited that she's getting a niece or nephew

"It changes all the time, but if you bought her chocolate then that should shut her up for a bit"

"Luckily I bought some chocolate from Japan so she can have some of that…" Kate trails off as Peter pulls up the car outside the flat

"Right, be warned, she may cry, she may be angry but just go with it and try not to get too offended" Peter smiles taking the suitcase out of the boot of the car as they make their way up the stairs

"Car?" Peter calls as she comes out of the bedroom

"Kate!" Carla squeals excited to see her sister

"Hello sis, you're glowing" Kate grins

"Peter make the drinks, Kate will have a coffee" Carla glares at him as he rolls his eyes "Let's take a seat"

"I hope you don't mind but Peter offered me the spare room-"

"You did what?"

"I'm sorry if you didn't want that I just thought-"

"I love you so much" Carla beams tears filling her eyes, her hormones obviously playing with her emotions

"Ok, so I did the right thing?" Peter asks, his heart racing in case he angered Carla more

"Yes, well done, baby" she grins looking back at him

"Thank god for that, I thought you were going to rip my head off" he grins giving her a kiss on her forehead, taking a seat beside her, placing the tray of drinks on the table

"Look at you!" Kate smiles as Carla places a hand on her bump

"Was a bit of a shock wasn't it?" Carla replies glancing at Peter

"Yeah you could say that again"

"A good one though?" Kate questions, taking a drink of her coffee and grabbing a biscuit from the plate on the tray

"The best shock in the world, we have our 20 week scan on Monday" Carla beams excited at seeing the baby again

"You going to find out the gender?" Kate asks

"We haven't discussed it really, but I think I want to keep it a surprise, something to look forward to" Carla smiles trying to get comfortable

"You alright?" Peter asks noticing her shift around on the sofa

"Just a bit uncomfortable" she shrugs

"Is that the scan?" Kate asks pointing to the frame which was on the coffee table

"Um" Carla says glancing to Peter, biting her lip not knowing how to go about the conversation

"No, this is the scan" Peter smiles getting up to go to the chest of drawers to the side of the room picking up the frame and handing it to Kate

"Oh so what's…it's not twins is it?" she asks trying to hide her excitement

"No…" Peter says unable to give eye contact, only focussing on how Carla's reacting to the situation

"That's Hayley" Carla smiles picking up the frame which was on the table

"Who..?" Kate asks, having not heard about Hayley or Carla's previous pregnancy

"Would it be easier if I went?" Peter questions

"No, stay" Carla smiles giving him a kiss on the cheek

"She's our daughter, Kate" Carla smiles

"What? Sorry I'm confused" Kate sighs unable to keep up with the conversation any longer

"Me and Peter lost a baby…a while back we decided to call her Hayley recently, well it was Simon's idea" Carla explains

"I'm sorry, me and my big mouth, when was that?"

"Just over 5 years ago now, it's not your fault you weren't meant to know…we just like her being involved in things we do as a family, that's all" Carla replies placing the picture frame back down on the table

"I understand, so what are the plans for this evening?" Kate asks changing the subject

"Well you have a welcome home party, organised by Jenny" Carla beams sarcastically

"Oh god" she groans "You're not joking with me aren't you, please be joking"

"Sorry, she even came to deliver the news to me herself, she even forgot I was pregnant so you can imagine how that's going to go…" Carla says raising her eyebrows

"Who's going?" Kate asks hoping that there's no one she hates going

"Me, Peter, Michelle, Robert, Maria, Ali and Ryan I think maybe Alya considering she's now part of the family" Carla rolls her eyes

"You never liked her did you?"

"No but I can be civil" Carla smiles

"Right, I'm going to unpack and leave you to it then, go and see dad and all that" Kate replies dragging her suitcase into the spare room

"Right I need to get dressed into something more practical I think…" Carla says getting up before holding her stomach and biting her lip, her expression turning into a massive smile

"What?" Peter frowns looking at Carla

"I think the baby just moved…" she smiles tears filling her eyes

"Really?"

"Yeah…oh my god, look feel" Carla gasps grabbing Peter's hand and placing it on her bump where the baby was moving

"It's really faint but I can feel it, that's amazing" he smiles kissing her stomach before kissing her, weaving his hand through her hair

"What's all the shouting about?" Kate replies coming out of the spare room

"The baby just moved for this first time…oh there is goes again, knows it's being talked about, come feel" Carla says beckoning Kate over, taking her hand and placing it on her stomach

"Wow, that's amazing, anyway I better be heading off so I'll see you when I see you" Kate grins

"See ya Kate"

* * *

A few hours later the whole family were sat around one of the booths in the rovers ensuring that there was enough food and drink to go around for everyone. Michelle and Robert were doing an excellent job hosting this function they even hired out a special chef so they could join in the party.

"Hi Carla" Michelle slurs obviously a little drunk from swigging red wine and cocktails all night long

"Right I think you need to calm down on the drink" Carla sighs as Michelle takes a seat next to her resting her head on her shoulder

"How's my little niece or nephew doing? Our Ryan he was a good baby, so good and this one is a good baby runs in the family" Michelle slurs poking Carla's bump which Carla was taken aback by

"Ok I think your fiancée needs to get you some water…Robert!"

"I'm sorry Carla, I'll get her some water" Robert sighs returning with a glass

"Ooh tastes like vodka, do you like vodka" Michelle cackles taking a sip of the water

"Not when I'm pregnant I don't, oh look Jenny wants to see you why don't you go and see Jenny?" Carla suggests hoping to get rid of Michelle

"I'm tired I want to sleep here with you because I think you're amazing!" She beams her words still slurring

"Hi, love you got your hands full there I see" Peter teases taking a seat beside her putting an arm around her shoulders

"Peter, lovely lovely Peter, you are amazing so good why don't you have some drink, you see this is vodka and it's mine you're not having any!" she rambles on holding a glass of water in her hand

"It's water, 'Chelle" Carla replies rolling her eyes

"Right do you want me to get her a coffee?" Peter asks Carla and she shakes her head, as Michelle rests her head on Carla's bump

"Baby are you in there!?"

"Ok I think you need to go home, 'Chelle stop poking me please" Carla sighs getting clearly annoyed being lumbered with a drunk Michelle especially when her personal space was being invaded

"Aw it moved, hi baby, it likes me because I'm just so amazing!"

"Ok Peters going to take you to Robert and you're going to sleep that off ok?" Carla sighs getting increasingly irritated secretly glad it was Michelle and not Jenny

"Is Robert having fun?" Carla laughs as Peter returns to sit beside her as she glances to Robert

"Don't worry you're safe from a drunk Michelle now"

"As much as I love Michelle, I can't be dealing with her when she's drunk" she laughs shaking her head in amusement placing a hand on her bump

"Is it moving again?" Peter asks putting a hand on her bump as gentle ripples happen beneath his hand

"It's kind of comforting, I probably won't be saying that in a few months when it's impossible to sleep"she stifles a laugh holding Peter's hand as he rests it on her bump

"Just to clarify, we're not finding out the gender, are we?"

"I don't particularly want to I feel like it might help me get through it better, we also need to talk about the idea of a home birth as well" she grins shifting around on her seat and yawning obviously tired from having to babysit a drunk Michelle for half of the evening

"Are you tired?" Peter questions and she nods resting her head on his shoulder "I think we should head off, get you to bed"

"Can you carry me?" She asks as she can't be bothered to walk home

"Probably not because I will have to hold your bag as well"

"Are you guys going?" Michelle asks still slurring her words, the effect of the water yet to kick in

"Yes 'Chelle I'm tired"

"Goodnight Carla and goodnight baby!" She calls flailing her arms around in the air as Robert comes to remove her from the situation

"Sorry about that, have a good night"

"Right, come on then let's head home"


	18. Chapter 18

**Typical really isn't it, I reference the 'mothercare' in previous chapters and it collapses today, I'm like the kiss of death, anyway have fun reading haha**

* * *

**23rd December 2019**

It was the day of Carla's 20 week scan and to say she was excited was an understatement, she was just worried In case it set off another panic attack as she had been doing pretty well for the past month. She wanted today to go without a hitch and so did Peter so in case something were to happen he was there to support Carla, they still decided they weren't going to find out the gender of the baby and both of them wanted to keep it that way.

"Mm Hi" Carla laughs running a hand through her hair as she lay on Peters chest stretching her body

"Morning, how are you?" he smiles kissing Carla's forehead "and how are you?" He shuffles down to kiss her bump

"Stop, it tickles" she whines swatting him away from her

"Sorry, baby. Your phone was going crazy last night after I put you to bed" Peter grins

"mm, probably people harassing us about Christmas" she sighs snuggling up close to him, her arm draped over his chest

"Anyway, what do you want to do for Christmas?" Peter asks knowing that they both need to make a decision sooner rather than later

"To be honest I want to stay here but in reality I don't think that's going to happen" Carla sighs just wanting to chill with Peter on Christmas day

"What if I can make it happen?" he grins

"Then I will love you forever" she beams "Ugh"

"What?" he questions looking at her expression

"I thought I was going to be sick but I just feel icky" she smiles as he kisses her head moving his hand to her bump

"Right how about you have a bath and relax while I cook you up a full english?" he proposes watching her expression as she contemplates what he just said

"Sure why not" she shrugs sliding out of bed and heading into the bathroom

* * *

They eat their breakfast and get ready for the day, Peter got Carla's folder ready for her scan this morning so she didn't have to worry about it, therefore hopefully reducing her anxiety. Michelle was meant to be going with them so Peter also send her a text ensuring she was still coming, in case he had to break it gently to Carla that she wasn't. They met up about 10 at Carla and Peter's flat ready to drive to the hospital, Michelle drove as Peter and Carla sat in the back so he could hopefully keep her calm, he had her stress ball just in case things got out of hand and she wanted something to distract herself with.

"You alright?" Peter asks noticing Carla dazing out the window wondering if she was communicating with the thoughts in her head

"I don't want to be here" she whispers as Michelle and Peter share a look with each other knowing it was going to be hard for Carla to cooperate with them

"Take some breaths, do your breathing exercises, then we can go see our baby eh?" Peter compromises taking her hand in his

"Do you want me to go and see if Scott's there?" Michelle offers knowing that they may need back up to get Carla in to the maternity unit

"If you wouldn't mind" Peter sighs knowing that it would be very hard to get Carla in to see the midwife

"Peter don't make me go"

"Listen to me ok, we need to talk to Sarah about our plan ok, and we need to see our son or daughter alright" Peter smiles gently placing a hand on her bump hoping to calm the baby in case it was moving which was causing Carla some annoyance

"Ok"

"Do you want to hold my hand then?" Peter smiles offering her his hand so she can feel the comfort she needed as they walk through the hospital to the maternity unit

"Peter I don't want to be here, please" she begs tears threatening to spill down her face

"Ok, I know, alright, shhh" Peter sighs rubbing her back as she cuddles into him as he beckons Michelle over

"Can you book her in?" Peter asks handing her the hospital letter and Michelle nods

"Hi Carla" Scott approaches them but she refuses to give him eye contact, instead she still stays buried in Peter's chest

"She doesn't want to be here" Peter answers for her still rubbing her back as she sobs into his chest

"Ok do you want to follow me" Scott smiles leading her to a calmer place with less lights and noise

"Her notes are there" Peter smiles handing them to Scott and he smiles appreciatively

"Peter can we go home now?" she asks more forcefully looking straight into his eyes

"I'm sorry but we need to have a look at this little one don't we?" Peter smiles rubbing her bump

"Don't make it worse" she huffs irritated

"Is the baby moving Carla, is that what's annoying you?" Scott asks gently knowing that her defences could go up pretty quickly

"A bit"

"Why don't you lay on the bed Car?" Peter offers helping her up onto it, stroking her hair as she turns to face him, shaking her head rapidly

"Hi Carla" Sarah smiles entering the room with Michelle behind her, they had obviously been talking

"Hi" she whispers unsure of the situation which she was exposed to

"You ready to have a look at your baby?" Sarah questions

"She's just a bit unsure of the situation aren't you?" Peter smiles kissing her forehead

"Right what I'm going to do is take some measurements of your baby I'll try and be as quick as I can, then we can find out if you're having a girl or a boy or if you want to keep it a surprise that's fine as well" she smiles putting some of the gel on Carla's tummy

"You're ok, shh" Peter hushes her trying to stop her from crying

"Come on Car, hold my hand if you want" Michelle smiles standing next to Peter as Carla grasps onto her hand thankful they were both there to support her in her time of need

"Ok let's have a look" Sarah smiles letting Carla see the screen "Did you feel that?" Sarah asks noticing the baby was moving around quite a bit

"Yeah, only started moving yesterday but doesn't want to be forgotten, hasn't really stopped to be honest" Carla smiles slightly, she was much calmer now that everyone was on the same page

"Have you thought any more about the birth plan?" Sarah asks still moving the wand around Carla's stomach getting the measurements she needed

"We think it might be best if we had a home birth, because she panics quite a bit in this setting and I don't really think it would be good inflicting this on her whilst being in pain" Peter says gesturing to the surroundings and trying to do best by Carla at the same time

"Ok, that's fine, we don't normally recommend home births as it is much safer to give birth in hospital where things are more controlled, but if you want to do it that's fine and I understand why you decided to choose that route" Sarah smiles understandingly knowing that it must be hard for Carla in this situation when she isn't in pain let alone when she's in full blown labour

"Ugh please stop" Carla groans

"Sorry, I'm kind of provoking it a bit for you aren't I but everything looks more than fine, you've had no complications so I don't see why you can't have a homebirth" Sarah smiles turning to face the screen again "You have one active baby in there"

"Don't I know it" Carla huffs clearly annoyed that Sarah was provoking her unborn child to move which just gets annoying after a while

"Right that's me done, I'll go and print off these pictures, then you can head off"

"Well done, you calmed yourself down really well then" Peter smiles kissing Carla's forehead proud of her for using the techniques that Scott gave her to do

"Mm, now it won't stop moving" she mutters clearly annoyed with the situation

"I know, but it means it's alright doesn't it?" Peter replies and she nods, bringing her into a hug

"Right the photos are in here. Is there anything else you want to ask me?" Sarah asks handing Peter the folder who then hands it to Michelle

"What happens when she is in labour, do we phone here or…" Peter trails off needing to know in case Carla wasn't up to speaking for whatever reason

"Phone maternity and they'll let me know" Sarah smiles

"Anything you want to ask Sarah, Car?" Peter asks and she just shakes her head wanting to be rid of the horrible situation going to hug Michelle

"If there's anything she wants to know, don't hesitate to ring us, we want to work with her not against her, I'll also update your notes with what you've requested" Sarah smiles

"Come on let's go then, Thanks Sarah"

* * *

"Right does anyone want anything to eat, I could order a pizza or something?" Peter questions as Michelle and Carla sit on the sofa together

"Go on then" Michelle shrugs as Carla leans her head on her shoulder holding the ultrasound picture in her hands

"Oh hi" Kate smiles entering the flat with the spare set of keys

"Hi Kate" Peter smiles

"Everything ok…?" she trails off noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere

"It's been a traumatic day, hasn't it" Michelle smiles rubbing Carla's back as she now rests her head on Michelle's lap

"Is it the baby?" Kate asks sitting on the floor beside Carla and Michelle who were on the sofa

"No, the baby's fine" Michelle replies running a hand through Carla's hair "you're struggling aren't you?"

"Could I have some water?" Carla asks quietly

"I'll go and get it" Kate says getting up off the floor and getting a glass out the cabinet before turning to Peter

"Is this normal then?"

"She's been better the last month or so, she's had her medication changed and increased twice" Peter replies honestly shrugging his shoulders it was a normal occurrence for him seeing Carla at her worst, mentally

"Why didn't you say? I would've come back sooner" Kate sighs annoyed that she wasn't there for Carla especially if her mind was still so fragile

"She completely broke down, inflicted injury on herself, she wasn't paranoid she just didn't use her techniques properly or she needed new ones, finding new ways to manager her anxiety, panic attacks and paranoia" Peter explains knowing it was pointless keeping her in the dark

"I bet it was tiring on you" Kate replies sympathetically remembering the last time when Carla needed to be sectioned

"I'm not going to lie, it was, me and 'Chelle had to stay up all night when she was at her worse but she's getting better now that's the main thing"

"How she coping with the baby and everything?" Kate questions

"She's really looking forward to becoming a mum and I think that it will give her something positive to think about she just doesn't like people invading her personal space that's when she puts the barriers up" Peter sighs

"I guess you have to watch her more than ever now" Kate smiles

"She just need to get through these next few months then she should be alright" Peter smiles

"I guess I better give her this water" Kate says gesturing to the glass she was holding before making her way to give it to Carla

"Right then, what we watching?" Kate asks taking a seat on the arm chair

"The shopping channel as usual" Michelle grins

"'Chelle?" Cala whispers

"Yeah darlin'?"

"Make it stop, please" Carla asks trying to sleep, tears filling her eyes

"Make what stop, hey don't cry" Michelle sighs gently, leaning down to kiss her forehead

"It won't stop moving"

"Ok, just bear with it, it'll stop soon ok, go to sleep" Michelle hushes her while rubbing her tummy, trying to mirror what Peter does

"I want Peter" Carla asks getting up off the sofa and sitting in the corner of the room, her usual place of safety at home

"He's gone out to get you some food ok, he'll be back soon" Michelle smiles taking a seat in front of her "Maybe a hot water bottle might help"

"I'll get it" Kate smiles getting up to boil the kettle, doing anything to help, as well as taking everything in that Michelle's done so she can understand how to calm Carla down if she needed

"Let's not do that ok, take my hand if you want to fiddle with something" Michelle smiles trying to stop Carla from picking at her hands again preventing the risk of her injuring herself

"Here you are" Kate smiles giving her the hot water bottle which she places on her stomach hoping the baby likes it

"Is it calming down a bit now?" Michelle asks as Carla still holds her hand

"No" she sighs placing her other hand on the side of her stomach feeling her unborn child kick gently against her hand

"Is that what's annoying you?"

"A bit but other things, why can't my mind just give me a break?" she replies tearfully

"Oh Carla, you'll get through this, I know you will" Michelle smiles sitting against the wall Carla is

"I just want my life back, is that too much to ask for?" Carla says getting increasingly angry with the situation

"Got the pizzas" Peter replies entering the flat balancing two pizza boxes in one hand before placing them on the counter "We alright?"

"No not really" Michelle smiles looking at Carla who was leaning against her shoulder

"Hey Car" Peter says quietly leaning down in front of her, her eyes looking up at him glassy as if tears could spill down them at any point she immediately gets up and hugs him tight

"You're alright, I'm here now, what happened?"

"Michelle" Carla replies quietly a sign that she doesn't want to speak about it herself

"The baby was moving when she was trying to calm down then she was getting annoyed that her mind wouldn't give her a break from all the upset and anxiety" Michelle explains rubbing Carla's back

"Why don't you get dressed into some pyjamas and then I get the duvet for you to snuggle up with me on the sofa?" Peter suggests and she nods heading into the bedroom

"I don't think Christmas is going to be a good time this year if I push her to socialise, I think we should stay in and not go out, make it the best we possibly can for her" Peter suggests, Kate and Michelle nod in agreement to this decision

"I'll break the news to dad, don't worry I'll make sure he takes yes for an answer and not harass you" Kate drones knowing that Johnny would probably get offended if Carla didn't go for Christmas, especially as she was carrying his grandkid

"Thanks Kate" Peter smiles appreciative of the support he was getting on the subject

"Hi" Carla says quietly chucking the duvet down on the sofa and snuggling under it

"Hey we were just talking about Christmas" Kate smiles learning to pick up on when Carla may be paranoid about situations

"Really, I thought we were going to Johnny's in the morning then to Ken's in the afternoon?" Carla frowns seeming a little brighter than before now that she's calmed down

"Well I've changed the plan haven't I?" Peter grins shifting so he was lying beside her on the sofa

"Go on" Carla sighs wondering if it was worse than before

"How would you like to stay here? Just me and you, maybe Si might pop around, we can chill, eat food and watch movies?"

"Really? what about Johnny and Ken though, we did kind of promised"

"I'm sorting dad and Peter's sorting Ken" Kate replies

"You happy now?" Peter smiles

"Yeah, just one thing though" she smirks snuggling into him

"What?" he grins

"Can I have my pizza?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews, I really am enjoying working on this and have the determination to finish it, let me know what you think! There's going to be a bit more drama in the next chapter hopefully you will enjoy that ;)**

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**24th December 2019**

Carla and Peter woke late that morning after an unsettled night of sleep. Carla was up half the night due to the fact that the baby was moving around quite a bit and she found it quite annoying to say the least. Peter had to keep getting up to get her hot water bottles as it provided her with some relief yesterday hoping it would help, but she didn't mine as long as he was there supporting her that was the main thing, he stayed up with her knowing that she wouldn't really sleep and would prefer to be awake, they tried not to disturb Kate who was sleeping in the spare room but she woke up every now and then to check on her sister. Peter wanted today to be a chill day with no stress so he could make Carla as happiest he could on Christmas day.

"What do you want to do today?" Peter asks her as she rest on his chest fiddling absentmindedly with his hands trying to distract herself from yesterday's panic she experienced

"Sit around here and not do anything, duvet day?" she asks looking up at him for his approval of her idea still holding his hand, providing the comfort she needed

"That's fine, do you want anything to eat?" he asks rubbing her back gently hoping to relax her

"No I feel a bit meh" she laughs slightly not knowing how to put it so he would understand

"Do you want me to rub your tummy?" Peter asks, usually he would just do it but he didn't want to aggravate the baby if it was finally staying still

"I would but I don't want it to move, I had enough of that last night" she huffs clearly annoyed at the situation, she loved her baby more than anything but last night was hard enough trying to calm down from her panic when it kept disturbing her

"Alright, do you want a bath or something, I can run it for you if you want?" Peter offers and she shakes her head clearly happy that she was still in bed with Peter lying on his chest helping her to sleep

"I'm happy here, with you, put a movie on then?" she grins still snuggling against him under the covers before groaning

"What?" he asks flicking through the movie channels on the TV in their room trying to find a film for them both to watch together

"Guess who's woken up?" she sighs as Peter places a hand on her bump

"I can tell, doesn't want to be forgotten today does it?" he grins moving his hand over the skin surrounding their baby as it moves around gently inside of Carla, she smiles the happiest she's been when the baby was moving, apart from the first time it did

"I'm getting used to it now I think, it's just annoying at night really" she shrugs placing her hand on top of his as he feels his unborn child move under his hands

"That was a strong one" Peter smiles raising his eyebrows shocked at the strength of the kick it provided to his hand

"That's got to be the strongest so far, I'm convinced it's a boy" she grins shaking her head in amusement

"Ey? It's not like you to be stereotypical" Peter raises his eyebrows amused at her assumptions to the situation

"Oh shut it" she grins "Oh look 50 shades of grey is on, bit of an odd time really isn't it!" she beams excitedly smirking in the process clearly excited that Peter might actually put it on as there wasn't really anything on right now

"You're craving attention today aren't you?" Peter smiles kissing her forehead but she tilts her head up to meet his lips with hers

"I always crave attention, especially when it's from you" she whispers seductively moving so she was situated on top of him

"Gosh what's this pregnancy done to you?" he exclaims amused by her presumptions watching her face drop as she brings a hand to cover her face

"You alright?" Peter questions as she squirms to get up running to the bathroom and throwing up, Peter following her immediately helping her with the unpleasant situation she was revealed to

"So much for getting some action" she mutters "I thought this was meant to stop, this baby better be flipping grateful!"

"Toothbrush, toothpaste and I will wash your hair for you" he grins as she leans back against the bath tub flicking her hair over the side so Peter can wash her hair for her, loading generous amounts of shampoo onto his hand

"Peter! That's way too much for my hair!" she shrieks annoyed that he was wasting her best shampoo

"Oh shut it, I know what I'm doing" he mutters wanting to get her back into bed because it was very cold today and it probably wouldn't be a good idea if she was to sit on the cold bathroom floor for too long, as he grabs the conditioner

"Is that ok, my queen?" he grins and she frowns

"My queen?" she replies incredulously "Don't ever call me that again, that's so cringey" she sighs knowing that Peter was trying to tease her

"Right all done, my queen" he smirks trying to wind her up

"I'll start calling you my king in a minute then you will be sorry" she raises her eyebrows as he finally realises how cringey it was

"Ok that is pretty cringey, I'll stop now" he contemplates knowing that he should probably stop winding her up and help her dry her hair

"I think this baby's taking the mick really, moving around like crazy now probably laughing at my discomfort" she whines rubbing her bump as the baby tries to kick her hand away

"I'm sorry you have to go through this, but I think loads of people will be so proud of you for everything that you've been through" Peter smiles helping her up off the floor and giving her a hug

"Hm I guess, I just can't wait till I can hold my baby and I don't have to deal with this thing ruining my routines" she huffs clearly annoyed from last night when she was trying to calm down but the baby was having none of it, gesturing to her bump

"And I can't wait to meet it" he smiles bending down to kiss her bump "Right you get back into bed and I will bring the bucket in so you don't have to bother getting up"

"Thanks, baby" she smiles pecking him on the lips as she saunters off to the bedroom

"Oh Hi Kate" Peter grins going into the kitchen seeing she was watching Christmas films "I thought you were spending the day with Johnny and Jenny?"

"Well Sean's called in sick, and obviously Gemma's got her hands full so both of them have to work, I'm a free agent for the rest of the day" she smiles flicking through the channels

"We're staying in all day I think she's feeling a bit sick anyway so I'm just here to get the bucket" Peter smiles going into the utilities cupboard to pick up the bucket which was in there

"Oh right, there's not much on is there, considering it's Christmas you would think that there would be a lot of stuff on?" Kate sighs clearly annoyed that there wasn't anything to do

"You can join us if you want, she's probably put 50 shades on because she's craving attention" Peter rolls his eyes clearly amused by his and Carla's previous conversation

"Oh god, do you have any board games we could play one?" Kate suggests trying to think of things to do

"Yeah, we only have monopoly I can ask Si to drop some things around I guess, she'll probably fall asleep though, she was up all night trying to sleep but the baby was causing her grief so" he shrugs having a look through one of the cupboards in the living area of their flat

"Peter!" Carla calls from the bedroom as Peter stops looking through the cupboard sighing loudly which Kate laughs at

"She's got you right where she wants you" Kate raises her eyebrows

"What is taking you so long?" Carla huffs coming out the bedroom obviously annoyed that he hadn't returned rolling her eyes seeing that he was in deep conversation with Kate

"Sorry, Kate was wondering if you wanted to play a board game…" Peter smiles diverting her attention hopefully reducing her moodiness

"We could play poker?" Carla says hopefully knowing that she would win

"Now look what you've encouraged because she didn't get what she wanted" Kate tuts clearly on Carla's side about the situation

"Oh you were on my side a minute ago, are you seriously scared of her?" Peter retorts clearly winding Carla up and she just glares at him, not amused at what he was implying

"Well I mean, she can be scary when she's angry, I wouldn't want to mess with that" Kate smiles raising her eyebrows wondering how Peter copes with the situation

"Well she hasn't slept all night so I don't want to her to get over-exhausted"

"I'll work on him Car don't worry, how's my niece or nephew then?" Kate asks changing the subject as Carla sits next to her

"Won't stop moving, Peter reckons I'm being stereotypical thinking it was a boy" Carla rolls her eyes and Peter holds his hands up in defence

"I reckon it's a girl, I can imagine you with a baby girl" Kate smiles placing a hand on Carla's bump which the baby immediately reacts to

"Now look what you've done?" Carla grins shaking her head, finally getting used to the sensation of the baby moving inside of her

"It's amazing isn't it?" Kate smiles truly mesmerised by the baby

"I guess, at least I know it's ok in there no matter how annoying it is" she shrugs placing her hand on her bump

"Oh Michelle's offered to have a drink with me during her break" Kate smiles looking down at her phone poise to type a reply "Do you want to come?"

"Um" she glances at Peter for help on the situation

"You can if you want, I'll be here if you need me if it does become too much" he smiles stroking her hair as she contemplates whether to go out thinking she would really like a drink with Kate and Michelle without Peter around

"Hmm ok then, I'll come let me get ready" she beams excited for being able to go out without Peter being worried in case she did feel anxious and he would need to calm her down.

Carla decided to throw on one of the pairs of black maternity jeans she got from shopping with Peter and Michelle, she also wore a navy blue top which would just about cover her bump knowing all well she would have to get more tops in the near future as her normal ones were struggling to fit her now unless they were stretchy. She went out of her way to do her make up perfectly considering she wanted to use it as a confidence barrier hoping it would improve her mood when they were out, she also put a curling wand through her hair which Peter loved when she did her hair. She slid on her boots as herself and Kate made their way to the bistro for a drink with Michelle.

"Oh Hi Carla" Leanne approaches her

"Hi?" Carla replies confused as Kate slides her hand into hers

"Don't look so worried, Si was wondering if it was still ok to see his dad for a couple of hours tomorrow?" she smiles in a civil way which Carla was taken aback by

"I don't see a problem with it really, I'll look forward to seeing him" Carla smiles

"Alright then, bye, and look after yourself" Leanne smiles leaving them both to get on with their day

"Well that was weird, I thought you already knew that?" Kate questions confused at why Leanne was

"I did" Carla frowns confused at what just happened

"Maybe she was trying to be nosey or something?" Kate suggests knowing that Leanne liked to be involved in everyone elses business

"Hm maybe, let's go and meet 'Chelle" Carla grins as she links arms with Kate as they make their way to the bistro

"Hi Bethany, is Michelle around?" Carla asks leaning over the bar trying to grab Bethany's attention

"Ah, she's in the office, she seemed kind of upset" Bethany smiles gesturing them to go through to the office.

"Ok thank you, why don't you get the drinks in Kate" Carla smiles before heading off to the office peering around the door "Chelle?"

"Hi, sorry I'll be with you in a minute" she replies avoiding eye contact an obvious sign she had been crying

"Chelle what's happened?" Carla sighs putting an arm around her as she looks into Carla's eyes

"He's been cheating on me, Carla I found out a while back I'm trying to bleed him dry then this came through and it just hit home" Michelle sighs handing her the brown envelope, Carla could probably guess what was in it

"Oh wow" Carla replies shocked reading the contents of the envelope "How did you pull that off?"

"It had to be done Carla, but I feel so wrong doing it" Michelle replies tearfully swiping the envelope off Carla as she kisses her on the side of her head

"I thought he loved you, why did he do this, I want to know who he did this with" Carla sighs clearly annoyed that Robert cheated on her best friend

"It gets worse" Michelle says glancing back up at Carla

"Go on" Carla sighs exasperatedly running a hand through Michelle's hair

"It's Vicky" Michelle states bluntly obviously still upset

"What that one who used to work in the factory, Tyler's mum?" Carla replies shocked at how Robert can go for someone like that when Michelle is polar opposite

"Yes, how many Vicky's do you know Carla?" she snaps clearly annoyed "Sorry"

"Don't apologise" Carla sighs rubbing Michelle's back

"But guess what?" Michelle smiles bittersweetly a hint of sarcasm in her tone, one that Carla knew too well when she was about to drop a bombshell

"Go on" Carla huffs knowing the situation will probably get worse

"She's pregnant with his kid and even engaged to her" Michelle replies tilting her head to the side clearly annoyed that the situation was getting worse

"I wasn't expecting that to be honest, what are you going to do then?" Carla asks knowing that she would need to be there for Michelle, her own problems can wait

"Bleed him dry, I've got the bistro now, just got to publicly humiliate him now" she replies clearly still annoyed

"I'll help, if you need me to" Carla states knowing that it probably wouldn't be a good idea in her condition

"No you will not be helping, not when you're meant to be resting, but if Peter want's to help then he can, I'll take passengers, the more money I can get the better, do I sound like a gold digger?" she questions realising how greedy she sounded

"No at all, you deserve it after he's strung you along for ages now, go for it, I'll be here to watch the fireworks" Carla grins happy that Michelle's spirits have been lifted

"And fireworks there shall be"


	20. Chapter 20

**Ok, well this is now the longest chapter I've written, I hope some of you dont get too offended by what I've done, there's a lot of twists and turns ahead, put it like that, Christmas day is never a quiet day ;)**

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**25th December 2019**

It was Christmas day and after Michelle's revelation about Robert last night Carla was desperate to tell Peter who agreed to help Michelle on behalf of Carla but they both agreed they would celebrate Christmas and New Year before they kicked off a plan. Peter woke from his sleep before Carla and went to get her stocking ready knowing she was really childish at heart as well as some toast, something dry in case she felt ill again like she did yesterday.

"Merry Christmas" Peter whispers as Carla wakes from her sleep, an uneasy feeling brewing in the bottom of her stomach

"Hi" she whispers apprehensively trying to put up her defences

"You alright?" Peter asks noticing she was being quieter than usual a sign that she may be struggling

"I feel anxious I don't know" she shrugs closing her eyes trying to block out the world hoping it would stop her from feeling anxious

"Ok, that's fine, do your breathing remember, I'm here" Peter replies waiting until she gives the go ahead for physical contact to be initialized

"Peter' it's not working, why isn't it working?" she panics annoyed that her breathing exercises, which usually work, were not working right now

"Ok calm down, do you want to do our routine?" Peter asks trying to see if he can help calm her down, hopefully both of them working together will help reduce the anxiety but she shakes her head

"Stop moving!" Carla sighs getting increasingly annoyed now rubbing her bump, her temper really wearing thin

"Give your mummy a rest you" Peter sighs placing a hand on her bump hoping to calm the baby a bit more, which helps

"Is everything alright?" Kate questions poking her head around the door after hearing shouting from the living room

"Can you phone Michelle, I know it's early she might know how to slow this down" Peter asks his attention still on Carla as tears fall down her cheeks

"Ok" Kate replies leaving them to it

"Please stop" Carla sighs getting off the bed and pacing the room

"Carla what do you want me to do?" Peter asks he watches her struggle through her anxiety

"I came as quick as I could" Michelle replies entering the bedroom, somewhat breathless having run down from her flat, noticing a dishevelled Carla work through her anxiety

"She's trying to calm down but the baby isn't helping the matter" Peter sighs explaining to Michelle what's happening hoping she could help with the situation

"Carla why don't you put a hot water bottle on it that might help" Michelle suggests sitting on the edge of the bed with Peter still watching Carla pace the room, her anxiety still increasing

"I need to get out of here" Carla rushes to the bedroom door but Peter immediately gets up and grabs her trying to avoid her stomach in case he hurts the baby, as she tries to fight him off kicking and screaming even attempting to bite him trying to be free of her pain

"Let me go" Carla cries getting increasingly distraught by the situation trying to scratch his hands hoping if she inflicted pain on him he would let go

"Is she having an episode?" Michelle asks, this situation scaring her quite a bit, she heard stories of Carla being this bad but seeing it was a different experience

"I don't know but something triggered it off, I can't work out what it was until she calms down" Peter says, his strength superior to Carla's still holding her as she fights against him knowing that she would get tired eventually

"Carla stop fighting against me" Peter sighs still gripping onto her so she doesn't escape, her fight starting to slow down as she turns around and looks at him, her cheeks tear stained from being scared

"Peter…" Michelle starts noticing Carla has stopped fighting an obvious sign that she's finally come to terms with the situation, knowing that Peter would not allow the risk of her being let out of this room

"Hey, don't cry" Peter smiles looking at her bringing his hand up to her face to wipe her cheeks, her eyes downcast at his hands before she moves away

"Did I do that?" she gulps pointing to his hands and arms, her hands shaky, taking steps back into the corner of the room, her usual safe place to go

"Oh" Peter says glancing down at his hands noticing some of the scratches she left were bleeding not really knowing how to answer as Michelle watches on wondering what was going to happen next

"I did that didn't I?" Carla questions

"I mean…" Peter starts not wanting to lie but wanting her to feel better, but there was no fooling her

"Don't lie to me, I did that, didn't I?"

"Yes"

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry" she panics pushing herself into the corner of the room, guilt rushing through her veins as she shakes her head bringing a hand up to her mouth, distraught at what she did to Peter, starting to question everything

"Don't apologise Carla" Peter smiles tearfully, this situation was harder than he thought

"No, I hurt you, I…" Carla gulps again

"Look, ok I'm fine, Michelle's fine, we just want to help, could we maybe start our routine now?" Peter replies trying to distract her from the situation hoping to initiate her calming down routine they did together

"I don't know what came over me" Carla gasps as tears roll down her cheeks, obviously distraught at what happened glancing back and forth between Peter and Michelle

"Come on let's run you a bath?" Michelle suggests taking one of her hands and leading her out of the bedroom and into the bathroom as Peter heads into the kitchen to clean his hands and arms up

"Kate?" Peter questions

"Oh hi, everything alright?" she asks after hearing screaming coming from the bedroom earlier

"Um, could you maybe help Michelle out, I wouldn't ask but I kind of need to clean myself up" Peter smiles watching his hands under the cold water which was coming from the tap

"What do you mean clean yourself up?" Kate questions going over to the sink to see what he meant and looking at his hands, gasping in the process

"Oh my… she did that to you?" Kate sighs taking a look at his hands

"Look she's alright now, sometimes when she doesn't speak for a day or two, or write in her journal she does this, it's her coping mechanism" Peter replies honestly and Kate frowns feeling bad for not being here

"I'll go help Michelle then" Kate smiles, satisfied with the answer, leaving Peter to it as he cleans his arms and hands

"Hi" Kate whispers knocking gently on the bathroom door in case she spooks Carla

"Hi Kate" Michelle smiles as Carla sits on her lap, Michelle's hand rubbing Carla's bump

"Do you need me to do anything?" she whispers kneeling down in front of them both taking one of Carla's hands in hers hoping to provide extra comfort

"Um, could you get her a fresh pair of pyjamas, some underwear and her fluffy hoody, I don't know where it is"

"There" Carla whispers pointing to the various dressing gowns which were on the back of the door, hidden underneath them was Carla's fluffy hoody

"Oh Thank you" Michelle smiles happy that Carla was still taking things in around her, kissing her head in the process, still rubbing her bump, the baby kicking her hand away actively "Gosh this little one's active isn't it?"

"Here, I got some new pyjamas for you" Kate replies entering the room and placing them on the heated towel rail making sure they were nice and warm for her when she got out of the bath

"Where's Peter?" Carla asks looking up at Michelle then to Kate

"He's just popped out ok, don't worry he'll be back soon" Kate smiles before leaving the room

"Let's get you undressed eh? Do you want me to stay?" Michelle questions carefully helping Carla stand up

"I'll be alright" she whispers

"Shout if you need anything ok?" Michelle smiles kissing her forehead

* * *

Peter was walking around the surrounding streets from where the flat was situated to clear his head, he decided he would be more use to Carla if he had a clear head. He hated seeing her blame herself for the way she was feeling especially as she was still recovering and her mind being so delicate, blame wouldn't go down well. He wasn't really paying attention where he was going, his mind trying to figure out, on behalf of Carla, what her trigger was for her anxiety, maybe a bad dream, but she usually wakes him if that was the case, unless, of course, she wanted to try and cope on her own and not rely on him. He was about to cross the road, the road outside the flat, near the fire escape, _that dreaded fire escape_, the next minute he was on the floor, lying there completely lifeless after the car which was obviously speeding collided into him, practically pelted him onto the ground.

"You done yet Carla?" Michelle asks knocking on the door opening it gently to see Carla sat on the floor with her pyjamas on, tears trickling down her face

"Am I ill again?" she whispers quietly, barely audible, still not feeling herself as Michelle takes a seat next to her putting an arm around her shoulders

"If I'm honest with you, I don't know, I hope not because I need you around don't I?" Michelle smiles taking her hand and giving it a kiss

"I need you too, as well" she says quietly her eyes still quite glassy as she looks into Michelle's

"Good, now we've established we need each other, why don't you get back into bed eh?" Michelle suggests

"Ok, stay with me" Carla asks getting up off the floor heading to the bedroom settling down into bed Michelle lying beside her as she falls asleep

"Um Michelle, can I have a word?" Kate asks quietly, nervously entering the bedroom shifting her weight from one foot to the other

"Ok?" Michelle replies confused exiting the bedroom leaving Carla to sleep

"Um it's Peter…" Kate replies her eyes downcast not really knowing where the conversation was going

"Oh he hasn't been drinking has he, I'll flaming kill him" Michelle sighs jumping to conclusions, she understood looking after Carla was hard for him but she knew he liked to find solace in a drink

"No, no um, there's been an accident, Ken just rang…" Kate replies biting her lip knowing that this could really set Carla back

"What sort of accident, Kate?" Michelle replies her eyes wide trying to be quiet ensuring Carla got enough sleep

"Car accident, just outside the flat, he's in intensive care" Kate replies as Michelle brings her hand up to her mouth in complete shock

"Anything else you want to inform me on?" Michelle asks just in case the situation could get any worse

"Robert, he was driving the car" Kate sighs knowing that Michelle could take this one way or another but not wanting to lie in the process

"What? Robert as in my Robert?" she replies not believing the situation to get any worse than what she was thinking, fury running through her veins

"Yep…" Kate replies obviously wondering how this would affect Carla as well as Michelle mentally planning to extend her trip longer

"Right, I need you to stay here, while I go and see Johnny and Jenny ok"

"What if she freaks out? What do I do then?" Kate panics knowing she doesn't have the correct skills to calm Carla down even when using her initiative

"Ok listen to me, I'm going to send Ali up here ok, to help you, if things get bad, I need to find out what's going on, just listen to her ok, don't initialize physical contact unless she does first, you'll pick up on it, believe in yourself" Michelle smiles kissing her cheek affectionately needing to get all the facts before she talks to Carla about the situation

"Why aren't you fuming at Robert?" Kate questions confused

"Because… he's been cheating behind my back, for months now, engaged to another woman, but that's not the problem right now"

"Do I tell her?" Kate questions as Michelle puts her coat on grabbing her bag, all of her belongings she bought with her

"No, she needs to rest and look after that baby, I'll ring once I find out more" Michelle smiles before leaving the building rushing to her car ready to start the drive to Weatherfield General

* * *

Michelle makes her way to the accident and emergency at the hospital where she was meeting Ken for an update, she knew Carla would not take well to this now, and the fear of that was prominent in the back of her mind but she had to push those feelings away deeper than before, so she could face facts and figure out how to support Carla when she eventually told her the news. She headed to the ICU to meet Ken.

"Ken!" Michelle calls entering the unit after passing herself off as Peter's wife which just felt odd but that wasn't the problem now

"Michelle, how did you get in here?" Ken questions knowing the security was tight in these places and actually eager to see how resourceful she had been

"I pretended to be his wife, what's going on?" she pants from practically running all the way here, taking a moment to breath and calm her racing nerves

"He's in a coma, bleed on the brain, a few broken ribs" Ken explains gently ensuring that Michelle got the correct information so she could inform Carla in a controlled environment

"Oh god, so he's not going to be able to tell me whether I should tell Carla?" Michelle sighs getting irate with the situation, her anger boiling wanting to take it out on Robert

"No sorry…I'm not even allowed to see him so" Ken explains "Why doesn't she know already?"

"She's really not coping at the moment, Peter probably went to clear his head, she freaked out this morning, trying to escape the flat which wasn't a good idea she then hurt him, she didn't mean to, I mean she was completely different like someone else took control of her body, then started blaming herself for it which Peter hates when she blames herself, I do to a certain extent, and that probably got to him" Michelle sighs filling Ken in with what's happened

"How are you doing?" Ken asks knowing that Robert was in the driver's seat of the car

"Trust me, I will flaming ring my fiancés neck in don't worry Ken, Carla really doesn't need this now" Michelle replies angrily "Is he at the police station?"

"I'm guessing so, I mean I saw police there when I arrived at the scene" Ken replies and Michelle nods gratefully

"Alright I guess I better deal with him, ring me if there's any updates, the more information I have the better it is for Carla and that baby" Michelle smiles leaving the ICU and heading to the police station to have an angry encounter with Robert

* * *

A few hours later, Michelle was done with Robert at the police station and due to his past criminal record returning home to see to Kate and Carla, armed with a McDonalds for them all knowing that not many places were open with it being Christmas day mentally cursing her fiancé more than ever for doing this but she knew she had to get home safely especially if she didn't want to end up in accident and emergency.

"Sorry I took so long" Michelle says entering the flat armed with a bag full of McDonalds meals considering it was probably the only place open on Christmas day

"Hi" Kate whispers as Carla rests her head on her lap massaging her scalp gently hopefully making her feel tired in the process

"Oh is she asleep?" Michelle questions putting the oven on to heat up the food

"No, she hasn't had a good afternoon to be honest" Ali replies from the armchair he was sitting in where he watched Carla like a hawk, before Michelle beckons him over

"How do you reckon she'll do if I tell her that Peter's lying in intensive care?" Michelle questions as Ali runs a hand through his hair obvious to the fact this could throw her over the edge

"Probably not well she seems very vulnerable today, trust me I could kill Robert" Ali sighs annoyed with the situation when the family should be enjoying Christmas

"Ok then, how has she been since I've been out?"

"She woke up wanting Peter, then Kate made an excuse about where he was then she said she wanted you but you were out, then she panicked, sat in the corner of the room and Kate had to drape a blanket over her along with a hot water bottle" Ali explains and Michelle nods slowly taking it all in not surprised with what happened

"Is Robert being charged?" Ali questions diverting the attention wanting to be there to support his mum

"Yeah I think, he's been given bail and a ban from driving, he's got to go to court next week, but that isn't the issue right now" Michelle sighs knowing that her problems are not half as bad as what Carla would have to deal with, as well as her mind being so delicate

"Michelle" Kate says noticing Carla jump as she wakes from her sleep, running a hand through her hair

"Hey, you" Michelle smiles kissing her forehead, a smile appears on her face

"Peter?" Carla questions, Michelle knew this would happen so she decided that she would just come clean, there was no point lying or creating a cover story

"Ok listen to me, I don't want you to worry ok, me, Kate and Ali are here for you ok?" Michelle starts and Carla nods slowly trying to process the situation as well as she could

"Earlier on there was an accident ok, I don't want you to worry because everything's going to be fine" Michelle says as Carla grasps onto her hand, still very spaced out from a difficult afternoon learning to trust new people

"Is he ok?" Carla asks automatically knowing that Peter was involved

"Not really no sweetheart, he's in intensive care right now, and in a coma" Michelle replies honestly as tears fall down both of their faces

"Who?" Carla asks struggling to keep her emotions under control

"Robert, he was speeding, he's going to be charged next week as he has a criminal record" Michelle explains gently

"Why?"

"I don't know sweetheart, I have some food, I think you should eat some and take your medication" Michelle questions knowing what the answer would be but was surprised by the outcome

"Ok"

"Alright I'll get you your medication and some food" Michelle smiles going to make a meal for her with the McDonalds which was in the oven as Carla starts to cry silently as Kate runs a hand through her hair

"You're alright, you have me and Ali" Kate whispers

"But I want Peter, can I see him?"

"Maybe tomorrow, you need to look after his baby don't you and he would want you to look after it, by eating properly and taking your medication" Kate lists bending down to kiss her head as there was a knock at the door which startled her slightly

"I'll get it" Ali smiles getting up out of the armchair he recently sat down in going to open the door "Oh, hi Leanne"

"Hi…I'm not here to cause trouble, I was just wondering if Si's turned up here?" Leanne sighs everyone knowing she's already broken the news to him

"No did you tell him?" Michelle asks, with a smile trying to be civil for Carla's sake and not get wound up by Leanne's presence

"Yeah, he stormed off he's pretty angry upset I just want to know if he's safe" Leanne replies emotionally

"Why don't you take a seat in case he turns up here, try to be quiet though…" Michelle smiles gesturing for her to take a seat which she does "I have some McDonalds if you want it"

"McDonalds? Go on then" Leanne frowns, chuckling slightly, interested at Michelle's food choice especially as it was Christmas day

"I'll grab a plate" Michelle grins as Leanne went to join her in the kitchen to help her

"Is she ok?"

"Who Carla?" Michelle frowns as if it wasn't obvious who Leanne was talking about

"I do still care you know, I might not show it but…" Leanne smiles trailing off trying to be supportive about the situation

"I know, she's just having a bad day and this hasn't helped, trust me Robert has had the brunt of my temper"

"I wouldn't want to be on your bad side, I mean if Nick did that then I think I'd have a fit to be honest" she chuckles lightly as the key went in the door

"Oh great, what's _she_ doing here?" Simon huffs angrily gesturing to Leanne as she rolls her eyes

"Si, why don't you take a seat ok, we can talk, all of us" Michelle suggests gesturing for him to take a seat

"I came here for space not for you to follow me!" she shouts which instantly disturbs Carla as more tears trickle down her cheeks, breathing becoming irregular as Kate rubs her back in a supportive manner

"Si-"

"You don't even care do you, I've already lost my mum, I don't want to lose my dad as well" he cries which makes Carla sit in the corner of the room, clearly distraught by the situation

"Carla, do you want to go into the bedroom?" Kate asks and she nods holding out her hand for her to take leading her away from all the arguing, as Ali follows trying to be supportive

"Right, if you're going to argue do it elsewhere alright, because she has not had a good day today and I don't want you two making it worse" Michelle says putting her foot down on the situation as Simon huffs

"Right, I will be at home when you want to come back, I'm doing this for Carla's sake as she doesn't need this" Leanne sighs leaving the flat in a foul mood

"Sorry Michelle" Simon replies glumly

"It's ok, I understand"

"You do?" Simon smiles slightly someone actually taking the time to talk to him about the situation, he would've preferred Carla but he knew that Michelle was a close second

"I do, I lost both of my brothers, and my son, I get you" Michelle smiles putting an arm around his shoulders trying to support him knowing it must be difficult for him

"Is Carla alright?" Simon questions as he had been worried about how she was coping with his dad being in hospital

"She hasn't had the best of days today, so I'll be looking after her while your dad's in hospital, if you need to speak to me about anything you know where I am" Michelle smiles trying to make sure everyone's being supported

"Can I watch some TV?"

"Sure, I better go check that Kate's alright in there" she smiles heading off to the bedroom and entering it to see Carla lying on the bed, Kate next to her

"Hey, what's with all the tears?" Michelle questions sitting on the floor beside Carla who was lying on the bed, stroking her hair away from her face

"I have Ciara on Friday, will he be out for that?" Carla questions tearfully wondering how she was meant to cope on her own in Ciara's sessions knowing that Peter was the only one who knows what's going on in them so far

"No probably not darlin, I can come with you if you want?" Michelle offers and Carla nods in agreement "Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"Will he see the baby's birth?"

"I don't know sweetheart, I hope so, but he's in a critical condition" Michelle sighs, tears filling her eyes as Carla's tears fall down her face

"I can't do this alone 'Chelle, I need him" she gasps sobbing loudly into the pillow grasping onto Michelle's hand for comfort

"You have us, you're not alone" Michelle smiles trying to comfort Carla

"I am though, up here, Peter was the one that could make sense of it all, how am I meant to cope?"

"I can try my best, think of me as a female Peter" Michelle grins slightly making Carla's lips twitch into a smile at how ridiculous her idea was

"So you're going to quit the booze then?" Carla raises her eyebrows knowing that Michelle is no way going to give that up is she has to support everyone

"Well…I can if you want, if that makes you feel better?"

"Hmm we'll see, I bet you couldn't even last one day"

"Excuse me, I have birthed children and been pregnant" she retorts clearly amused by Carla's banter and predictions trying to boost her mood

"I'm going to try and sleep now, could you lay with me, female Peter?"

"Of course"


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm kind of winging this because I'm a little drunk so yeah sorry for mistakes**

* * *

**26th December 2019**

Michelle stayed with Carla all night, sleeping beside her in case she were to wake hoping that she wouldn't try to cope on her own considering the news yesterday. She was unsettled for most of the night, sleeping really lightly and Michelle knew that today she would want to go and see Peter, so she decided she would get up early to get an update from Ken, leaving Kate with Carla in the bedroom to ensure she had someone there when she woke.

"Where's 'Chelle?" Carla questions quietly look at Kate who was lying beside her

"She's gone out to see Ken" Kate replies honestly watching Carla narrow her eyes trying to process the information as Michelle enters the bedroom

"I have someone to see you" Michelle smiles letting Ken step into the room both of them sitting on the edge of the bed

"Hi" Carla whispers apprehensively not bothering to move from her position

"Hello Carla, Michelle was wondering if you would like to come with me to see Peter, he's not awake but we reckon if you're there it might give him a better chance of being brought out of the coma" Ken asks taking her hand gently after being coached by Michelle on how to deal with the situation

"Can Michelle come?" Carla asks still holding Ken's hand knowing he was the nearest thing to Peter right now

"If she wants I've already phoned ahead so they've made an exception to increase the visiting numbers slightly, that is if you want to come?" Ken questions smiling genuinely at her

"I want to see him" she smiles slightly, the fear of going out prominent in the front of her mind

"Visiting times aren't until 10 so why don't you get ready with Michelle then I will meet you here" Ken replies giving her hand a comforting squeeze before leaving the flat

"How does that sound then?" Michelle questions giving her a hug and a kiss on the head, trying to replicate what Peter would do to her

"Good, I want to see him"

"You don't sound very convinced…"

"What if he doesn't make it?"

"Oh Carla" Michelle sighs not knowing what to say to her, she didn't want to lie but she also didn't want to tell her the truth in case she was denied the opportunity to see Peter today

"I need him 'Chelle, this baby needs him" Carla replies tearfully the reality of the situation finally hitting home, placing a hand on her bump

"He might wake up if you're there, you never know, so why don't you get ready, is there anything you want for breakfast?" Michelle suggests trying to get Carla to think positively about the situation

"Umm bacon roll?" she grins slightly rummaging through her wardrobe

"Coming right up" Michelle smiles leaving the bedroom to leave Carla to get ready for what would be a difficult day

* * *

Both of them headed to the hospital, Michelle bought Kate for back up just in case things got out of hand for Carla, it was understandable this would bring back horrible reminders for her so they were all on tenterhooks, Kate was driving the car, with Ken in the passenger seat, Michelle and Carla in the back so in case Carla was to feel uncomfortable at all she was there to help support her . They headed to the intensive care unit in the hospital, a stark contrast to the maternity unit but very similar to the waiting room when Carla went to counselling which always put her on-edge.

"Right he's just this way…" Ken replies as they all follow him, Carla leaning into Michelle keeping a grip on her arm

"No…" Carla gasps seeing Peter through the window, cuts marking his head a ventilator in his mouth keeping him alive, bandage around his head presumably from surgery he had when he came in

"You alright?" Michelle asks noticing the tears which were filling her eyes, the hand which was gripping onto her hand up at Carla's mouth in shock, the situation finally hitting home, and the possibility that Peter wouldn't make it now in the front of her mind

"Baby, I'm so sorry" Carla smiles tearfully going to sit in the seat next to the bed taking his hand and placing it on her bump feeling the baby react to it as Michelle stands next to Ken, tears filling both their eyes at how distraught Carla was over the situation

"This is your daddy… he loves you so much and I love him and you more than the world, your daddy needs to get better to meet you so he can chase you around the park when you're older, fight off the monsters under the bed and calm you down after you have a nightmare, we will take you to parents evenings and watch you in your nativity plays, because your daddy is so strong, he's saved me a number of times now it's our turn to save him and help him so he can become strong again" Carla cries gently trying to compose herself, Peter's hand still on her bump as the baby tries to kick at it, Michelle behind her now with a hand on her shoulder, she turns around and sobs violently into Michelle

"Shh I'm here" Michelle smiles rubbing her back comforting her as she cries into her

"Why does this happen to me, first Paul, Liam, I feel it's just a ticking time bomb for Peter now" Carla sighs emotionally trying to keep herself together

"Mr Barlow? Is this a bad time?" a doctor enters apprehensively looking at Ken, obviously knowing him from last night

"I don't suppose there's an update?" Ken asks sighing the process knowing the answer will probably be no change

"Well the swelling around his brain has gone down a little which is a bit of progress but not to the extent that we would call it major progress, his body's trying to heal and when the swelling has completely gone we can think of bringing him out of the coma, but we must respect that he has a lot of injuries" the doctor replies looking through the notes which were in the folder on the table next to the bed

"But he's made progress?" Carla asks diverting her attention away from Michelle

"Yes, sometimes little steps are sometimes better than big ones, is there anything else you would like to ask me?" the doctor offers knowing how delicate the situation is after being informed by Ken about Carla's mental health

"How long will he be in here for and will he remember anything?" Carla asks hopefully looking for a timescale so she can mentally prepare herself without having to deal with her anxiety without Peter

"I'm sorry but we won't know until that swelling's gone down the best you can do right now is rest and keep your energy up, we'll ring as soon as we think it's safe to bring him out of the coma, I'm sorry I couldn't provide you with more answers" the doctor replies apologetically knowing the situation would be harder on Carla

"It's alright, I understand" Carla smiles looking at Peter lying in the bed helpless

"Alright I guess I better go and update these notes electronically, so I will see you when I see you" the doctor replies leaving the room

"I think we should get you home now Car, you've had an emotional day and I want you to be ready for tomorrow" Michelle suggests rubbing her back gently as Carla nods

"I love you" Carla whispers kissing Peter on the forehead before leaving the room with Michelle and Ken meeting Kate in the waiting room

* * *

They head home, stopping off on the way at Freshco's to grab something for dinner, as Ken and Michelle wait in the car with Carla as it was probably easier for Kate to just pick up some stuff as it would be quicker so Michelle could get Carla home and help her write in her journal for Ciara's session tomorrow still trying to replicate Peter's routines with Carla to give her some similarity to the situation

"Right you get changed into something more comfortable while I make dinner" Kate suggests and Carla walks off into the bedroom Michelle following her

"Could we do the routine?" Carla asks starting to feel anxious about the situation

"Sure, do you want me to come with you to run a bath?" Michelle asks as Carla hugs her tightly looking for the comfort she wanted

"Yeah" she sighs rubbing her stomach groaning in the process starting to get annoyed

"Ok I'm going to boil up the kettle quickly ok so you can put a hot water bottle on your stomach, is it moving around a lot?" Michelle asks bringing Carla in for a hug

"Mmm" she mumbles in agreement, clearly annoyed " I want Peter"

"I know you do" Michelle sighs kissing her forehead knowing how hard this situation is for her

"Michelle, you'll always look after me won't you, if Peter doesn't make it?"

"Always, I'm here for you, don't ever doubt that ok?" Michelle smiles bringing her into a hug before leading her to the bathroom, running the taps in the bath to get it to the right temperature as Carla sits on the stall which was in the bathroom

"Which one do you want?" Michelle asks holding up the lavender muscle soak and the set of bath bombs which were in the shower caddy

"The pink one, Peter always liked to give me the pink ones" Carla smiles slightly undressing herself pointing to the bathbomb

"Ok the pink one it is then, do you want to put it in?" Michelle questions handing her the bath bomb as she holds it in her hand, mesmerised by the simplicity of it

"Ok" Carla grins placing it in the water watching it fizz before saying "Don't you wish all your problems could fizz away just like that?"

"I guess, is there something on your mind darling?" Michelle questions stroking her hair gently knowing not to force the matter

"Could we go away, for a bit I just need to clear my head, get my head straight you know?" Carla asks as Michelle nods slowly not really knowing if it was a good idea to take Carla away as that would be avoiding her problems which wouldn't be good for her recovery

"Depends where you want to go?" Michelle asks dampening her hair with the shower head ready for her to shampoo it

"Abroad?" Carla asks wanting to chill before the baby comes

"I don't know Carla, I would if you were doing well but I don't want to risk it, and what if Peter needs you?" Michelle compromises watching Carla narrow her eyes contemplating her answer

"I guess…ugh" she groans, dipping her head into her hands

"Is it moving?" Michelle replies to her groaning, massaging her scalp knowing this could have an effect on her routine

"Mmm, I don't mind it, it's just annoying when it's in the middle of a routine" Carla sighs rubbing her bump, the baby trying to kick her hand "Woah ok, that was strong"

"Kicking hard is it?"

"Not as hard as the time it kicked Peter's hand…" Carla trails off tears filling her eyes as they trickle down her face as she looks at Michelle needing the comfort

"Oh Car… I'm so sorry" Michelle sighs feeling guilty about the situation considering Robert was driving the car

"It wasn't your fault…" Carla smiles taking Michelle's hand

"I feel somewhat responsible though" Michelle sighs knowing she should be strong for Carla not forcing Carla to give her the support

"You don't need to, were you in the driver's seat of that car?" Carla questions

"No…but…" Michelle starts only to be cut off by Carla

"Exactly it's Robert's fault and Robert's only" Carla reassures her as they both smile

"Alright, now that you are right about everything…should we have some dinner, then get you to bed ready for tomorrow?" Michelle offers holding Carla's hand as she nods helping her out of the bath

* * *

They sit in the living room eating the dinner that Kate prepared for them both to eat before bed, she left them to it knowing that they would both need time to comprehend everything that happened today so she decided that she would stay the night at Johnny's on the sofa so she didn't interfere. Carla and Michelle got ready for bed ready to watch movies in bed, as Michelle thought it was a good idea for Carla to start off the night well considering what she went through today. They both fell asleep, Michelle waking up around 3am to find the bed empty beside her.

"Car?" Michelle calls noticing the bathroom light on knocking on the door gently, opening it inch by inch

"Why are you dressed?" Michelle questions confused, yawning in the process, as Carla had her coat on

"I have to get out of here, I need to go Michelle you don't understand" Carla sighs packing a makeup bag frantically throwing everything in the bag in no particular order

"Carla look at me please?" Michelle asks beginning to think Carla might be ill again if she didn't give her the eye contact

"Michelle I need to go you don't understand" Carla huffs confused looking at Michelle not understanding

"Where to, where are you going Carla?" Michelle asks gently not initiating physical contact in case she completely regresses

"I need to get away from all this it's too much, come with me?" She asks looking at Michelle who just shrugs not really knowing what to do about the situation

"Ok where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere I just want to drive get away, please it's too much" Carla begs looking at Michelle in the eyes tears threatening to spill

"Carla can I hold you?"

"No don't come near me"

"Ok can we go into the bedroom? I really think you should try and relax sweetheart, I'll stay with you, awake if you want" Michelle asks gently knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to take Carla away right now especially if she had counselling tomorrow

"I-I don't know" Carla frowns not really sure of what to do, her mind was a mess

"Ok, that's fine, do you want to do our routine?" Michelle asks knowing she's abusing the routine a bit but she needed to keep Carla calm

"I want to see Peter"

"We can go after Ciara tomorrow ok, but right now I need you to come with me so we can get you calm again" Michelle smiles prying the makeup bag out of Carla's hand and placing it back in the cupboard above the sink, holding her hand out for Carla to take

"Let's get your pyjamas back on, and get into bed I'll stay with you, get you whatever you need?" Michelle smiles taking Carla's coat

"Ok"

"Come on then, let's get back to bed?" Michelle asks leading Carla back into bed and throwing the duvet over her before climbing in beside her, giving her hair a brush holding her close

"'Chelle?"

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Carla asks wanting to plan everything out in her head so she could feel more prepared

"We have Ciara at 11 for an hour, then we can come back, have some lunch then go and see Peter, does that sound alright?" Michelle replies trying to break the day up for Carla so she has time to process her emotions between seeing Peter and Ciara

"There was something else as well, I can't remember what, Peter knows but…" she starts but breaks down in tears turning to face Michelle who brings her into a hug

"Ok, is it Scott?" Michelle asks trying to think about all the possible people it could be whilst rubbing her back

"Yeah, I think it is"

"I'll give him a ring at 9 tomorrow to confirm, then we can do an evening visit to Peter, how does that sound?"

"Um, it's a bit much I don't know" she says looking up at Michelle biting her lip

"Shall we see how you go? I give you the responsibility of telling me when it gets too much and please don't be scared to" Michelle says offering Carla some control over the situation which should please her

"Ok" she yawns snuggling down under the duvet

"Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up" Michelle smiles stroking Carla's hair

"Promise?"

"I promise"


	22. Chapter 22

**Kind of a filler chapter before things start to kick off ;)**

* * *

30th December 2019

It was the day before new year's eve and it was the day Peter was going to be brought out of the coma as he made really good progress the past week. Carla was excited at the possibility of getting Peter back and well again, Michelle was going to be there to support her when Peter woke up as it was planned to bring him out around midday Carla was sceptical that he might not be able to remember anything but she tried to think positively about the situation. Carla was 20 weeks pregnant today and she was hoping to share this milestone with Peter, that was if he remembers, as she was told there might be a possibility that he couldn't. Michelle was still staying with Carla, supporting her being the 'female Peter' Carla longed for and she was doing a rather good job about it, taking her to counselling, making sure she took her medication and making sure she was eating regularly as well we being an overall point of contact

"Right you, medications in this cup, and breakfast is on the side, is there anything else you want?" Michelle replies folding some clothes and putting some on hangers, hanging them on the door handle

"Anything to stop this day from not going smoothly?" she grins tucking into the full english which Michelle made and was rather enjoying

"It'll be alright, and just think when Peter wakes up-"

"If he does wake up"

"Ok then if he does wake up, you'll be able to tell him how well you've been doing this past week" Michelle replies rolling her eyes at Carla's previous input, it was true Carla had been doing better in previous days going out on her own which was a big step for her, her sarcasm back in full force, it was like having the old Carla back

"Are you not having any?" Carla asks tilting her head to the side, confused at why Michelle hadn't made herself a full english

"I just had some toast, that'll do me, gotta watch the calories, you don't look this good for nothing" she lies thinking of a cover story watching Carla narrow her eyes at her a suspicious look on her face as she stops chewing on her food

"Hmm I guess, I literally don't care anymore so, more for me I guess" she grins shovelling baked beans onto her fork then shoving it into her mouth

"How do you do it?" Michelle asks randomly making Carla frown in confusion at what she was implying especially as it was completely random

"What do you mean?" Carla questions still unsure of what Michelle meant making her slightly paranoid thinking she was meant to know

"How do you have the strength to have another child, when loss is so deep?"

"Chelle what's going on?" Carla sighs putting her plate in the sink ready for it to be washed up later

"Humour me" she replies wanting an answer for the question she asked

"Well…what's the point of holding on to something that you can't change?" Carla replies shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as if it was simple to forget loss

"I guess you're right, anyway you need to get ready because we need to leave soon"

* * *

They both headed to the hospital, Carla didn't like it no matter how many times she was there the past two weeks. The plan was that they would meet Ken in the waiting room, then for the doctor who would be bringing Peter out of his coma. They stopped off on the way to get some food for tonight as well as killing time before they were due at the hospital as they were very early. Then took the short drive to the hospital to see Peter.

"What's the likelihood of him waking up?" Carla asks the doctor who was fiddling around with the ventilator, getting ready to prepare it to fill Peter's lungs before it was turned off

"It's a strong possibility, obviously the sooner he wakes up then the better his recovery will be" the doctor smiles as more nurses come into the room ready to start the procedure of waking Peter up

"Right are we ready?" the doctor asks his colleagues which they all agree, as he turns off the ventilator watching for any sign of a reaction from Peter

"Come on son" Ken sighs pacing the room anxious that he might not wake up

"Ok.. We'll give him one more minute" the doctor replies holding his wrist up watching the heart rate monitor as Peter takes a breath breathing a sigh of relief in the process

"Well you have one strong son, Mr Barlow" the doctor smiles turning to Ken who was relieved, the tension in the room lifting

"Car?" Michelle prompts as she was nuzzled into her not wanting to look at Peter

"He's breathing" Carla gasps going to sit next to Peter, holding his hand "Will he remember anything?"

"There's a chance he may have short term amnesia as he did have a blow to the head when he fell to the floor but other than that I don't see why he shouldn't be able to make a full recovery obviously he might be a bit unsteady on his feet but a bit of physio should fix him up" the doctor states confidently being entirely honest about the situation

"Will he be able to hear us, if we speak to him?" Ken asks watching Carla look at Peter

"He should be able to yes, if you speak to him then it may help him wake up" the doctor replies writing notes to go in the holder at the end of the hospital bed Peter was lying on

"We're staying until he wakes up" Carla turns to Michelle who bites her lip knowing that Peter may not be fully awake until tomorrow

"Car you need to rest though-"

"I know but I can't leave him" Carla begs as Michelle places a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her

"Car look" Michelle says pointing to Peter's eyes which were fluttering open every now and then

"Hey, baby" Carla turns to him, biting her lip knowing that Peter might not be able to remember anything which would break her heart

"Mhmm Carla?" Peter mumbles squeezing her hand struggling to adapt to the lighting in the room

"Hey, I'm here" Carla smiles as Peter looks at her utterly mesmerised by her beauty as well as being surprised at how well she was looking after herself

"What happened?" he questions confused as to why he was in hospital

"You were hit by a car, you've just come out of a coma, darlin'" Carla smiles kissing his hand providing the comfort for him like he used to do to her when she was having a difficult time

"You should be resting" Peter replies shaking his head gently knowing that Carla was carrying precious cargo and should be at home relaxing, treating herself well instead of being by his bedside

"That's what I said" Michelle pipes up receiving a glare off Carla knowing that if it was two against one she would be defeated and probably have to go home

"She's been looking after me, making sure I've taken my meds, taking me to Ciara, right little mother hen aren't you?" Carla grins, tilting her head looking at Michelle who shakes her head in amusement at Carla's sarcasm and patronising tone

"Mm good, thanks 'Chelle, did they find out who was driving the car then?" Peter asks as Michelle dips her head embarrassed and feeling guilty that Robert was driving the car

"It was Robert, I'm so sorry Peter" Michelle replies guiltily biting her lip in the process

"It's not your fault, and you should get home and rest" Peter replies pointing at Carla still determined to get her to rest

"I'm 20 weeks today, we should be celebrating that" Carla huffs clearly annoyed at the lack of celebration of the half way mark in her pregnancy

"How is the little one?" Peter asks diverting the subject knowing that they would have many more milestones to celebrate like the birth of their baby and didn't want to feel guilty about not being able to celebrate it properly

"Ruining routines as usual but other than that probably wants to escape right now the amount it moves around"

"I'm sorry I wasn't there" Peter sighs feeling guilty about how he wasn't there for Carla as Carla picks up his hand and places it on her bump, grinning as the baby moves around

"It's good to feel it again, after all this time" Peter grins amazed at how much more stronger the kicks were the last time he felt them

"You shouldn't blame yourself Peter, it wasn't your fault, like I said to Michelle, it's Robert's and Robert's only"

"Please go home and rest, I wont stop until you do, you've probably been waiting here for hours waiting for me to wake up"

"Fine, I'm coming back tomorrow though, no arguments"

* * *

Both Michelle and Carla head home wanting to have a chill this evening before seeing Peter tomorrow, Carla was finally happy that she would be getting Peter back and that they can finally get things ready for the baby, this made Carla convinced that she wanted this baby to have everything that she never had and she was determined to be a good mum to her baby even if it was the death of her, she wanted her child to experience the love and support she never had and she wanted the whole family to be a part of that.

"You still haven't told me what's wrong" Carla grins raising her eyebrows as she was settled on the sofa, a blanket draped round her legs to keep them warm, considering it was still December

"I'm going to marry Robert"

"What?! You have got to be kidding me after everything he did?" Carla replies shaking her head clearly unamused at what Michelle was letting herself in for

"A bit of support wouldn't go a miss" Michelle huffs clearly annoyed at why everyone was denying her the opportunity to get married to humiliate him

"I don't get why though, he cheated on you, got another woman pregnant now you want to marry him, are you sure Peter hasn't swapped his supposed amnesia with you?" she retorts clearly unamused with the situation, her sarcasm and quick wit in full force which makes Michelle smile

"Well I want to publicly humiliate him, so there's nothing better than doing it at a wedding" she shrugs as if it was the obvious thing to do

"Right…I'm still not really seeing your reason but carry on…"

"We already have some things planned, it's just a matter of saying 'when' and trust me I plan to do it by the end of January, and he will do what I want him to otherwise he will have hell to pay"

"Surely he must be suspicious…come on you've been acting shifty for weeks now" Carla retorts receiving a playful hit off Michelle

"If you don't want to help me I won't bother talking about this with you" Michelle raises her eyebrows as Carla backs down obviously wanting the gossip as well as wanting Robert to get his comeuppance

"Anyway, I want to surprise Peter" Carla grins taking a sip of the lukewarm tea which was in her mug diverting the subject clearly excited about the future

"Go on…"

"I want to take him on a babymoon during our one year anniversary, I just don't know where" she shrugs grabbing the laptop which was on the side and getting up some all-inclusive package deals to show Michelle her ideas

"Maybe I could help you with that…" Michelle smiles going into her handbag to get an envelope and handing it to Carla, she frowns before accepting it

"Oh wow, I don't understand, explain" Carla grins reading the details of the contents inside the envelope

"It's a 2 week stay in Hawaii for the end of February, I'm sure I could change the dates for you both, I got this ages ago before you ask, my fiancé hardly deserves it so I guess it's yours if you want it" Michelle shrugs taking a sip of the glass of water which was on the table

"Ok, why wouldn't you eat a full English this morning, now you're drinking water instead of the coffee I made you?" Carla sighs, starting to panic slightly thinking that Michelle was ill "You're not ill are you, because I can't lose you, Peter scared me enough"

"I'm just feeling a bit unwell, I'm probably coming down with something or all this stress with Robert, don't worry I'll still be here for you ok?" Michelle sighs kissing Carla's forehead which settles her uneasy demeanour

"As long as you're sure?"

"I'm sure"

"Ok, I'll take it, Peter would love Hawaii, give us a breather before we need to prepare for this one's arrival" Carla grins patting her bump excited about going somewhere hot

"You need to get that spare room ready, that'll give you something to do" Michelle replies raising her eyebrows knowing what Carla's train of thought would be regarding accessories

"Hmm I was thinking black furniture as that goes with-"

"You're unbelievable and predictable"

"What!" Carla exclaims, her mug almost thrown from her hands as she retorts clearly annoyed at Michelle assumptions

"You want black furniture" Michelle shakes her head utterly amused at how predictable Carla was which she rolls her eyes to clearly unamused

"What do you even need for a baby, I have no clue, this is why you're here to help, come on get writing" Carla points cheekily to the notepad which was on the side

"Oh so I am your new PA am I?"

"Yes you are…make sure you pick things out which are suitable for my tastes"

"Black clothes, black blankets, black dummies, black changing table, black pushchair" Michelle lists sarcastically tiltiing her head to the side every now and then trying to annoy Carla

"Oh you should be a comedian, I'm being deadly serious by the way" Carla glares which makes Michelle immediately stop her taunting

"I know, trust me wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of you and your hormones"

"Hilarious, you should be a comedian"


	23. Chapter 23

**I wanted to create a bit more drama before I went into some more soft lovey stuff between Peter and Carla, I also wanted to explore some of Carla's forgotten relationships on the show so I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's quite long but I just had so much to write**

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, this is my most popular fanfic and I have so many more ideas for it!**

* * *

**31st December 2019**

It was new years eve and Carla was determined to spend most of it with Peter even if it meant the hospital staff calling the police to remove her from the situation. Michelle was invited to the Rover's to celebrate the new year with the family, but was nervous about inviting Carla as she didn't want her to have a setback which was highly likely in this situation due to the loud noise that there would be when the countdown started as well as her spilling the beans to Robert about his double life knowing that Carla wasn't really one to bite her tongue, she was doing so well so she decided that she would invite her anyway otherwise Carla would probably old it against her forever more and she didn't really want to deal with one of Carla's moods especially when she was pregnant which just enhanced them to a fever-pitch standard.

"When are we going to see Peter?" Carla asks coming out to the living area from the bedroom where she was previously tucked up in bed trying to stay warm as it was a cold and bitter morning but the thought of Peter excited her to the extent she was eager to get up and get dressed determined to get there as soon as visiting times started

"You're like a five year old when in the car, repeating 'are we there yet' like a broken record, except it's 'can we see Peter yet' and I think you know the answer so I'm not even going to reply to that until we're ready to leave" Michelle retorts sighing exasperatedly, it was true, Carla didn't shut up about Peter until she went to bed that evening, the prospect of seeing him on new years eve exciting her more the overdose of chocolate ice cream she had last night really enhancing this excitement

"Alright mardy, I won't bother making conversation next time, I wasn't even asking you to annoy you so whatever's going on in your head sort it out" Carla huffs clearly irritated by Michelle's attitude towards her obsession with Peter, it's like she didn't understand, Peter was her rock and she was finally getting him back which made her ecstatic and want to shout it from the roof tops, her baby was finally getting it's father back and she couldn't wait to do the preparation work for a new born with him

"I'm sorry Car, it's just that I need to try and get this wedding planned for the end of January, I didn't mean to snap" Michelle replies apologetically in case her attitude affected Carla later, she didn't want to feel like Carla couldn't come to her if she was experiencing really bad anxiety and needed to leave the party later

"It's ok, you just shocked me with your attitude, can I help with anything?" Carla offers and Michelle shakes her head knowing that increased pressure could cause Carla to crack this evening which she didn't want for her

"Do you want anything else? There's some bacon in the fridge, I can whip you something up if you want?" Michelle offers knowing that Carla's breakfast was anything but substantial given her condition, and she didn't want to be accused by Peter for not feeding up his girlfriend

"Go on then, I just couldn't be bothered, and you're a much better cook than me, I'd probably get salmonella if I tried" she replies wittily watching Michelle fry the bacon which she practically drools over it, wanting to eat the whole packet but she knew she had to be a bit healthier after the two tubs of ice cream she got through last night

"That's really off putting you know that, you just watching me fry bacon" Michelle retorts as Carla watched over her shoulder making sure the bacon is perfectly cooked for her, poking Michelle every now and then to make sure she's continuing to watch it ensuring it doesn't get burnt and that it is cooked to perfection

"It looks so good" Carla groans salivating at how the bacon is moving around in the pan Michelle picking it up every now and then with the spatula watching the fat drip off it licking her lips as if she was some sort of carnivorous animal in need for its next feed

"Right there you are" Michelle grins handing her the bacon sandwich which Carla immediately takes a bite out of wanting more but mentally scolding herself, refusing to give in to her current craving, she was amazed how parallel the second trimester of her pregnancy had been, from throwing up because of bacon in Roy's flat to practically drooling over it when it's being cooked

"That was needed so badly, you don't understand" Carla replies finishing off her bacon sandwich, licking her lips in the process determined to pick up every last taste of the meal she had which tingled her taste buds as well as make her unborn child squirm in appreciation for fulfilling its request

"Go and get ready then we'll head off" Michelle replies washing up the dishes as Carla giddily runs into her bedroom to pick out some clothes to wear knowing exactly where they were going after she did eventually get ready, her mind whirring in excitement about the prospect of seeing Peter today

* * *

Michelle and Carla drove to the hospital, Carla constantly asking questions about Peter to Michelle which she didn't really have the professional answers for but she tried her best, it was planned that Peter would spend a couple of weeks in rehabilitation as he was a bit unsteady being on his feet his muscles obviously weaker since being in a coma, but Carla didn't mind, as long as he would be there for the birth of their baby that's all that mattered and she knew that Michelle would support her for the next month or so whilst Peter regained the strength he lost so he can go back to supporting her especially as he could understand her triggers much better than Michelle can, she tried her best to be a female Peter, the thought was there, but in reality she couldn't compare to the real thing.

"Hey baby" Carla smiles kissing Peter on the lips as he was reading an old copy of the Weatherfield gazette, obviously trying to find something to pass the ongoing boredom in his life right now

"Hey, love, I'm surprised they let you in yet, dead on time I see" Peter chuckles at her eagerness, confused as to why she was so desperate to see him considering he couldn't do much apart from hobble back and forth slightly using a pair of crutches which no doubt Carla will tease him about relentlessly

"Well I wanted to see you, and so did this one, and don't worry she's been looking after me" Carla grins turning to point to Michelle who just shakes her head in amusement

"That's what I like to hear, have you been taking your medication?" Peter asks, taking her hand and fiddling it knowing that she could bite his head off at any minute as she didn't really like to talk about her medication as it made her feel really uncomfortable at times so taking her hand, he hoped, would provide her some comfort enough for her to open up

"Michelle's been really good, she's organised all my pills, like you used to do, a week in advance, as well as making sure I'm getting a nutritious diet" Carla smirks knowing that the nutritious diet was a lie considering the two tubs of ice cream she downed last night

"She had two tubs of chocolate ice cream last night" Michelle says hoping not to get into trouble with Peter for giving Carla a bunch of junk food whilst she was pregnant even if she was craving it, she just didn't want Carla to be moody with her if she was denied a craving

"So we have a new craving of chocolate ice cream do we?"

"And bacon, Michelle made the best bacon sandwich in the world this morning, gourmet style I swear"

"Hardly, all I did was cook some bacon and put it in between two slices of bread, hardly gourmet style, it's not like it had fancy cheeses and thick with butter" Michelle retorts tilting her head to the side and impressed with herself with making a meal which was up to Carla's standards

"I thought bacon made you hurl?" Peter questions confused at what this pregnancy was doing to Carla's body, he was convinced it would be a major trigger for sickness throughout considering that time she was violently ill in Roy's flat that time

"So did I but I will tell you, I was practically drooling over Michelle cooking this sandwich, saliva practically falling out of my mouth" Carla grins placing a hand on her bump rubbing it gently as the baby squirms under her hand leaning her body to one side hoping it'll stop jabbing her in the same place

"Moving around are we?" Peter asks noticing Carla with her hand on her stomach dipping her head in a bid to quell the movement which were quite vigorous for some reason, probably enjoying the bacon sandwich from earlier

"Mmm, jabbing me right in the side" Carla groans taking hold of Peter's hand and placing on her stomach which calmed the squirms from inside her a bit more, she thought maybe this was giving the baby a focus instead of her being it's personal punching bag as well as contact with its dad having an effect on it

"I wish I could be there for you" Peter sighs rubbing his hand over the swell of her stomach slightly trying to calm to baby as she tilts her head to the side, a big grin plastered on her face, she finally felt at ease

"What?" Peter asks noticing the grin on her face, confused at why she was so happy

"I'm just happy that you're alive, I was so worried when Kate told me that there was an accident and you were involved" Carla smiles taking his hand and kissing it gently hoping to provide the comfort he needed, in a way returning the favour, being the tower of strength he needed instead of her needing him right now well she did need him, ever so much, there were things Michelle couldn't replicate, understanding her emotions to the extent Peter did, doing the little 'Peter things' in the flat that made her laugh, it wasn't the same really, although Carla was grateful for Michelle stepping in and being so supportive, taking her to Ciara, doing her medication, trying to replicate the routines that Peter had enforced, she was still eager to get Peter home as soon as possible so they can start preparing the spare room

"Ok then, are you going out painting the town red this evening?" he changes the subject as Carla sits beside him on the bed fiddling with his hand not really knowing whether to be honest with him in case he thinks she's pushing herself a bit

"Don't be mad, but we're going to the Rover's spending it with the family, doing the yearly countdown"

"I'm not mad, I can see you're looking forward to it and I wouldn't want to take that opportunity away from you considering you seem really upbeat about it, just make sure you look after yourself and you get home safe, and tell Michelle if there's any problems" Peter scolds her gently tapping her on the nose which she grins to, missing Peter's playful side when he wasn't with her recently, her routines lacking somewhat normality without it

"Ok, I promise, is this the time I'm told to get lost?"

"It is indeed, I have physio soon and I think you need to go and buy an outfit for this evening, so I will give you my debit card and go and treat yourself to a new frock" Peter grins grabbing his wallet and handing her his debit card for her to buy a new frock

"No, I can't Peter, I will probably only wear a dress once maybe twice, it wouldn't be worth it"

"No disagreeing, I want to treat you, and spoil you, one for not opening your Christmas Presents when I told you that you could on the phone and for doing so well with using your routines correctly from what I've hear from Michelle and my dad"

"Fine, you win, I promise I won't go overboard"

"Now take her out shopping Michelle and get her the dress of her dreams" Peter grins shaking his head at how Carla was biting her lip guiltily knowing his debit card will probably be melted by the time she's done with it

"Thank you, so much, come on 'Chelle we're going shopping" Carla grins sliding the card into a spare slot in her purse before placing it back in her bag

* * *

They head to the Trafford Centre to see if they could find a dress suitable to Carla's needs as well as her tastes which were difficult on a daily basis, stopping at all the regular stores as well as some designer stores to see if they had a dress in maternity sizing. She wanted something plain, elegant something which showed off her bump so people knew she was carrying Peter's baby as well as it needing to look stylish, she was determined to brag about it as well. Settling on a red figure hugging dress with black lace embroidered over the shoulders of the dress, she bought it on a whim loving how it accentuated her in all the right places, as well as for some pictures to send Peter that evening to show him what was going on whilst he was stuck in hospital. Soon after they headed home to get ready for the night ahead, relaxing for an hour before getting ready, both Carla and Michelle alternating to have a shower or a bath, doing all the girly things they do before going out, having a laugh in the process as they painted their nails and did their hair, both of them abusing the use of Carla's curling wand from about five years ago and the collection of nail polishes she kept in a container in her bathroom before leaving the house around nine that night to head to the pub, the first time Carla had been to a vast social gathering since she found out she was pregnant.

"Right what you having to drink then, not like you have much choice…" Michelle grins adjusting her black slimline dress trying to get comfortable on the barstool which was next to Carla's

"Orange juice" Carla rolls her eyes at Michelle's humour knowing that she would either be plied with water or orange juice all evening even if she wasn't pregnant due to her medication

"And you Michelle?" Jenny questions leaning on the bar probably thinking Michelle will go for a red wine, the usual go to drink of many Connor women, maybe it was something in the blood she thought

"Just a water, in case I have to get this one home"

"You can at least have one, you're not going to get completely hammered" Jenny taunts trying to get her family members to drink hopefully reducing the embarrassment of her drunken antics if she were to get drunk

"What if I need to get the car?" Michelle questions trying to think of excuses not to drink but she could tell Carla was suspicious as she narrowed her eyes

"So? I've driven with a small red in me in the past and haven't got caught, it's not like you're going far" Carla shrugs sipping her orange juice her mind whirring why Michelle couldn't have a drink

"Right I'm going to have to leave you ladies to argue this out whilst I serve these people, let me know when you've decided" Jenny tuts going over to the other side of the bar engaging with the likes of Izzy, Beth and Daniel who had Bertie in a sling

"Before you start, I just don't want to put any weight on ok, I'm getting married aren't I and I want Robert to see what he's thrown away?"

"If you say so, anyway have you thought of any wedding dresses?" Carla asks changing the subject, she would deal with Michelle's odd behaviour later when it was quiet and she could maybe guilt trip her into revealing what was up

"I don't want something fitted, maybe even ballgown or A-line" she shrugs drinking her tap water wishing she could have a big juicy glass of red

"I mean we wouldn't want you to be cursed wearing a fitted dress, the last time you did get shot"

"Cheeky mare"

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Daniel says sauntering over with Bertie in his arms sitting his bottom on the bar as he kicks his legs against the wood

"Starting him early I see" Michelle grins and Carla almost spits out her drink amused at Michelle's repartee between herself and Daniel

"Oh very funny, I was wondering if you would like to have him for a bit, I just want to let my hair down a bit you know, speak to some people, no harm in it is there?" Daniel grins as Carla shakes her head tutting at his mischievous grin, glancing around to see who was sat on their own in the corner of the room, looking at Bethany

"It's not a sin to move on you know?" Carla smiles rubbing Daniels arm comforting hoping to give him a bit of support in a situation she knew he's finding it difficult especially if Sinead isn't here, and from past experience herself

"I think Beth's finally accepted it that life's too short and that I will eventually have to move on, we had a heart to heart earlier so…"

"Come here then little man, you can sit with your auntie Carla for a bit then" Carla coos sheepishly taking Bertie off Daniel and sitting him on her lap, playing with his chubby hands tickling them gently as he giggles which melts her heart holding out a toy for him to hold

"Oh he is adorable and you're absolutely smitten" Michelle smiles stroking Bertie's cheeks as he grabs her finger and shoves it into his mouth, his bright eyes mesmerising, as Michelle's eyes fill with tears which doesn't go unnoticed by Carla as memories come flooding back to her

"Oh 'Chelle" Carla sighs taking her hand and rubbing it gently as she calms down manoeuvring Bertie who was now playing with one of his toys lying in the crook of her arm kicking his leg's gently probably settling down to go to sleep as it was getting quite late

"I wish Ruairi was still here" Michelle sighs tearfully still stroking Bertie's puffy cheeks as he smiles up at her bashing his toy on the side of the bar trying to get her attention

"I know you do, I can take him back to Daniel if it's too difficult him being here" Carla suggests shifting Bertie around in her lap trying to stop him from kicking so she could hold Michelle's hand

"No it's fine he looks comfy there and I can't be doing this when I see someone else with a baby" Michelle sighs watching Bertie unclasp his fingers around one of hers, looking up at her his eyes wide

"Are you tired sweetheart?" Carla says bouncing him gently on her knee as his bottom lip quivers threatening to burst into a loud wail as Carla moves him back into the crook of her arm stroking his cheek as his eyes go heavy as he shifts around trying to get off to sleep

"You're so good with him" Michelle beams looking at Carla rocking Bertie in her arms completely engrossed in making sure her nephew is safe in her arms as Daniel saunters over from speaking to Bethany

"I have the sling if you'd prefer, I wouldn't want to wake him as he seems rather comfortable sitting with you" Daniel says after giving Jenny his order turning to look at Carla who was still holding Bertie which Daniel thought must be an uncomfortable position for her

"How does it work then, because I would like to take a sip of my drink" Carla grins tilting her head to the side as Michelle and Daniel help wrap it around her as she clutches Bertie as he cries, his previous sleep being disturbed which he wasn't happy about

"Then you just slide him in just like then then put this around his body then he should settle right down" Daniel says sliding the material over Bertie's back as he nuzzles into Carla closing his eyes every now and then settled against her chest

"Cheers, he seems happier now" Carla grins sitting back down on the bar stool finally able to take a sip of her orange juice which had probably gone cold by now but enjoyed the generic taste anyway

"How's Peter doing anyway, sorry I forgot to ask" Daniel questions leaning against the bar holding a drink in his hand ready to engage in the conversation as Michelle slips off to see Robert who just came in probably from closing up the bistro, or living his double life and she didn't want to take the risk of Carla spilling the beans

"Yeah, he's a bit unsteady on his feet, he's going to be doing rehabilitation on his muscles for a couple of weeks but other than that there was not permanent damage, so hopefully he should be out by the time this pain of a baby makes an appearance"

"Ah that's good send him my love won't you? I'll leave you to lull my son to sleep for me" Daniel grins heading back to sit with Bethany who was no doubt waiting for her drink to arrive probably confused as to why it was talking so long

"Alright" Carla smiles glancing around to find Michelle sauntering over to her with Bertie still in the sling, sitting next to her in the booth which was taken up by most of her family, Ryan, Ali, Maria and Robert, not that he deserved to be classes as family any more

"Hey Carla" Maria grins "I see you have a friend, suits you" she replies lifting her glass up gesturing for Carla to clink both their glasses together

"Oh I'm just doing Daniel a favour whilst he lets his hair down a bit, we're alright though aren't we sweetie?" Carla smiles pecking Bertie on the head who just yawns, still trying to fight his tiredness grabbing onto a piece of her hair

"He's such a cutie isn't he?" Maria grins leaning into Ali who was taken aback by her weight being shifted onto him almost spilling his drink Carla smirks in amusement at his comical expression

"Mmm he prefers spending time with Auntie Carla over Uncle Peter, it's because I'm much cooler" she states wishing Peter was here so she could hear his comeback to her cheekiness

* * *

They talk about an hour, half an hour in and Daniel wanted Bertie back so he could see the new year in with his son, which gave Carla rest from him tugging at her hair every not and then wanting entertainment or accidently in his sleep before the countdown arrived and when it did, knowing this is the prime time Carla's anxiety may be set off Michelle holds one of her hands under the table as they all start counting down, Carla bolts outside to the beer garden Michelle following hot on her heels before a sound of presumably a gun rings out in the pub.

"W-w-was that a gun?" Carla her voice shakey biting her lip trying to stop it from quivering as tears fall down her face, the sound an unwanted memory she had experience

"Ok let's get you away from here, come on" Michelle says shielding her shoulders taking her back to the flat knowing that Peter would want her to be safe as ambulances speed past them, a police car stops in front of them

"Are you two ok?" A policewoman approaches her noticing the way Michelle was holding Carla as she sobs into her side, Michelle rubbing her back tenderly

"Carla! Michelle!" Leanne shouts, running over to them both probably been woken up by the sirens which sped past the road as Michelle glances between Carla and the policewoman, now Leanne who joined the scene

"Car, I'm going to need you to be really brave ok, and go with Leanne while I explain what's happened" Michelle sighs as Carla glances up at her shaking her head slowly, tears still falling from her face

"Come on Carla, I won't say anything I just want to help" Leanne smiles gesturing for Carla to take her hand which she hesitantly accepts holding onto Leanne

"We were in the beer garden, um-then we heard the gun, so I needed to get her away because she's under supervision from a mental health team, it could be a trigger so I just wanted to get back home to start her routine" Michelle explains to the policewoman who nods sincerely knowing that Michelle was trying to do the right thing

"What time would you say you heard the gunshot?"

"It was during the countdown…so midnight I don't know?" Michelle sighs wishing she could provide more information for the officer but her attempts at remembering were fruitless as he whole attention was on keeping Carla calm

"I wouldn't ask but we may need you to stay around, I know you need to deal with your friend but we need you to clarify your details with other people who have heard the gunshot"

"It's ok I understand, is it ok if I can see if someone can help, I just don't think I can leave her alone, with her being pregnant and all that" Michelle smiles glancing at Carla who was hugging Leanne who was trying to calm her, she knew Carla wasn't doing well as she was hugging someone she usually loathed in need for comfort as the policewoman nods

"Right, Car I need you to be really brave for me again ok, Leanne's going to take you back to the flat, the keys are here ok and you're going to do your routine take your medication and get some sleep ok-"

"Michelle!" Maria runs over to them both having come out of her flat, probably sneaking past the police cordon noticing they were stood there

"Maria I really need your help ok, I need you to help Leanne out with Carla, no offence Leanne but I think she will trust Maria more" Michelle explains to Maria who just nods wanting to be as helpful as she possibly can

"I'll need to bring Liam though"

"Simon can look after him it's fine go and get him and I'll drop him off up there once we get Carla back" Leanne smiles amazed that they were all working as a team to sort out a problem "Shall we go?" she prompts Carla who nods gently

"I'll be back as soon as I can ok?" Michelle smiles waving them both off returning to the scene of the crime wondering who got shot

"Right then, Michelle said you have a routine to show me, so tell me how it goes?" Leanne smiles gently but Carla just sits in the corner of the room trying to keep safe after the fright she had when the gun went off before the landline goes off making her jump again

"Don't" Carla starts

"It's the hospital it could be Peter?" Leanne says trying to coax her to be a bit brighter knowing how much Carla would probably like to hear Peter's voice right now

"Hi Peter…yes it's Leanne and Carla is fine before you ask…well a gun went off in the Rover's Michelle and Carla were in the beer garden at the time…she's fine, well I say fine she's struggling a bit Michelle had to wait to give the police information, something about procedure so I'm here with her waiting for Maria…yeah I'll ask, Carla do you want to speak to Peter, I'll put him on loudspeaker for you?" Leanne asks as Carla nods her head slowly swiping a blanket off the armchair which was next to her, Michelle had placed a beanbag in the corner of the room because she didn't want Carla to hurt her back, so she nuzzled into it wrapping the blanket around her

"Peter?" she says quietly unsure of whether to trust Leanne eyeing her up across the room

"Hey, love what's going on?" Peter asks gently to see if he can coax her out of her anxiety as Carla watched as Michelle burst through the door, tears running down her face

"Michelle's back now…she seems upset"

"Ok, can you hand her the phone darling?" Peter asks waiting for someone else to be on the receiving end of the phone as he could tell Carla wasn't really up for conversation right now

"He wants to speak to Michelle" Carla whispers after gesturing Leanne over who just simply nods taking the phone gently wondering how Carla's mental health became so bad when she used to be so strong and feisty about everything, giving her a battering with words, it was a shock to her system, maybe it was time to make amends

"Michelle?" Leanne holds out the phone mouthing Peter to her

"Peter?" she sniffles almost breaking down in tears as Leanne puts a comforting arm around her shoulders

"Are you alright, Carla noticed you were upset I just want to make sure I don't need to get Scott there to help you, I already phoned him before this and he's on standby if you need him" Peter replies knowing that it was wrong to go behind Carla's back but he knew that this situation would've triggered some things off after hearing about the incident on the local news 20 minutes earlier

"Robert got shot and then h-he died at the scene, I just need to compose myself ok, then I'll be alright"

"Michelle,is Kate around to help?" Peter questions knowing that Michelle would need time to accept everything which has happened and if she was looking after Carla that evening then she wouldn't be able to come to terms with everything

"Um Leanne? Could you go and find Kate, she should be around…oh never mind she just walked through the door, it's a party at your flat this evening" Michelle chuckles trying to make light of the situation trying to deflect the grief away from herself

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it, ring Scott's emergency number if things get drastically out of hand, you do have it don't you?"

"Yes it's on the fridge still, we'll be fine I think, please don't worry Kate and Maria are here so just focus on getting better" Michelle smiles before more tears fall down her face

"Give me an update tomorrow, bye"

"Kate, can you work on calming Carla down for me, I just need to go and see Ali and Ryan ok?" Michelle says grabbing her coat and bag leaving the flat in a rush wanting to clear her head

"I'll go with her" Leanne states following Michelle knowing that she didn't really want to part of the situation which was about to occur

"Hey Car" Kate smiles sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of her

"Robert died?"

"Yes he did sweetheart, but I don't want you to worry ok, because you're safe here"

"Tony"

"Who? You can speak to me"

"He was there wasn't he? With the gun?" she replies sleepily as Kate props a pillow behind her head so she accidently didn't hit it against a brick wall as Maria was settling Liam in the spare room after Simon was looking after Oliver whilst Nick checked on his family

"Carla, can we move you sweetheart, I don't want your back to hurt like it did last time, I'll lie with you if you want?" Kate offers gently taking her hand and helping her up taking her to the bedroom and placing her in bed as Maria watches from the doorway utterly shocked at how confident Carla used to be compared to what she saw now, tears almost in her eyes

"Michelle?" Carla mumbles sleepily her eyes closed her body trying to relax

"She'll be back, go to sleep I'll stay here with you"


	24. Chapter 24

**Right here's the next installment, time for some cute fluffy stuff :)**

* * *

**1st January 2020**

Michelle never came back that evening so it was up to Kate to look after Carla, Kate thought it was very unlike Michelle, she wanted to check on her but she knew Carla needed to be mentally stable for her to do that. Carla kept waking up with nightmares, really severe ones, memories plaguing her mind which she didn't need right now and a severe relapse was looking like it was on the cards, Kate didn't know what to do, she had no numbers to ring and it wasn't like Carla could help her out in any way, the sound of the gunshot kept ringing in Carla's mind, the final words of her ex-husband ringing in her ear threatening her recovery, Kate didn't know who Tony was but Carla kept rambling on about him whenever she woke from one of her nightmares, sometimes her voice in shrill screams piercing through the room or quiet mumbles in her sleep before her eyes opened in shock, Kate was secretly praying that Michelle would walk through that door whenever Carla woke so that she would be able to help her.

"Come on Michelle, pick up your god damn phone" Kate laments down the speaker getting increasingly concerned about Carla's welfare as well as irritated by the lack of sleep she was getting before she heard crashing around in the living room, walking out slowly with a dining chair in her hand as some sort of weapon

"Stay away, I'll call the police!" Kate shouts turning the light on to see a drunk Michelle who had probably been out all night, Kate bringing a hand to her chest in a bid to stop her racing heart

"Did I scare you!" Michelle cackles loudly threatening to wake Carla up if she hadn't been already as Kate sighs exasperatedly

"Shh, I'm trying to settle Carla, where the hell have you been, actually no don't answer that, you smell like a mix of the cellar at the Rovers and Bistro combined"

"I just needed to clear my head and my stomach" Michelle grins tilting her head from side to side as if she was in some sort of daze, Kate wouldn't have been surprised if she got her drink spiked or something

"What do you mean clear your stomach?"

"Have a little drink with me?" Michelle beams changing the subject hoping that Kate would cave and have a tipple of red wine with her probably grabbed from the nearest off-licence, waving the earthy green bottle around in the air

"No, lie down and sober up, here's a coffee, drink it" Kate huffs grabbing a cup of coffee to place on the coffee table which Michelle grabs drinking it "I need to go check on Carla, so either sober up or get out before Carla has a fit" Kate retaliates as a scream is heard from the bedroom which Kate immediately runs to

"I need Peter, take me to Peter, he'll protect me" Carla cries tears streaming down her face the never ending wash of mental pain staining her features

"Carla it's Kate, you're safe here, no one's going to hurt you"

"Where's Peter?" Carla asks breathlessly patting her body still believing her dream was so real

"In hospital darlin' do you not remember?" Kate questions gently trying to get Carla back into the reality of the real world instead of being engrossed in her dreams

"Hi Carla" Michelle slurs entering the room as Kate shakes her head furiously knowing that Carla might get her hopes up about having a stable Michelle with her when Michelle was probably less stable than Carla was right now

"Is she drunk?" Carla smirks slightly glancing to Kate who just nods slowly, noticing Carla's smirk she smiles slightly trying to captivate Carla's positive attention and reflect it back at her, Carla always found a drunk Michelle entertaining and this was no different

"I would give you some! But it's mine!" Michelle says waving a coffee mug around in her hand before dropping it on the floor watching it smash to smithereens which makes Carla jump slightly as she replies in infectious laughter pointing to her bump

"Michelle in case you've forgotten I'm pregnant and I think we need to get some more of that down you" Carla grins tilting her head to the side, Michelle's drunken antics making her feel better and causing her to laugh, something to distract her thoughts with

"Car, can I ask you a question?" Michelle slurs as Kate picks up the pieces of the shattered mug which was spewed out on the floor of the bedroom before getting some tissue to clear up the coffee

"Depends what it is?"

"How did you find someone who would…who would do anything…and I mean anything for you!" Michelle exclaims and Carla just frowns knowing that a drunk Michelle could be very emotionally charged especially as she had received bad news

"Why don't you come and have a lie down and we can talk" Carla suggests patting the bed next to her as Michelle saunters over almost tripping over the mat in the middle of the room letting out a loud and drunken cackle as she comically tried to keep her balance attempting to put her arms out like a trapeze artist as she put it as Carla tries to suppress laughter

"Come on, tell me where you've been then?"

"Out and about"

"Why have you started drinking again then, the last I heard you weren't taking a sip?

"One I don't need a wedding dress do I? and two I don't have to answer to you!" Michelle shrieks as Carla dips her head into her hands exasperatedly

"You just did though?"

"Oh true, very true!"

"Michelle please tell me what's wrong, you always tell me to be honest with you" Carla sighs knowing that she was playing the emotional blackmail card which she didn't like to do knowing how that can have an effect on peoples mental health

"I need to get away for a bit, I don't want to leave you but I'm no use to you like this, especially after what I've done, oh god what have I done" Michelle replies glumly, sobering up a bit from the copious amounts of coffee which was in her system

"Michelle I will support you whatever you need just like you support me, maybe I could come with you, if you want?"

"No, I need to grieve on my own"

"That's fine, I understand, I'll be fine can we get some sleep now though?"

"Goodnight"

* * *

Carla and Michelle slept lazily in bed, Carla didn't wake again that night, Michelle's calming influence managed to lift her moods and she got a somewhat decent night's sleep lying beside her. Michelle was tossing and turning with guilt and grief so ended up watching Carla sleep peacefully looking for any signs on what she was dreaming about. They woke around eleven in the morning, not a care in the world at how long they were in bed for but of course, much to Carla's amusement Michelle woke up with a killer hangover which boosted Carla's mood.

"The drunken wanderer stirs then?" Carla smirks taking a sip of her tea and tucking into some slices of buttered toast which she prepared, receiving a glare from Michelle

"Don't, I didn't say anything that…I don't know…shocked you?" Michelle panics slightly knowing that she didn't want to seem vulnerable around Carla when she was so vulnerable herself, it wouldn't help her and she was stupid to go out and get plastered

"You said you wanted to get away for a bit because it was too much being around here, then you acted like a trapeze artist, normal really for when you're drunk" Carla shrugs trying to hide her grin in her mug of tea replaying when Michelle almost tripped over the rug in the middle of the bedroom in her mind

"Hmm why the hell was I acting like a trapeze artist, I don't know my heads a mess" Michelle moans going to pour herself a cup of strong coffee

"Look, I don't mind what you do, to be honest I think you should do it, you've been through so much so why don't you get away for a bit, Peter will be out soon, sooner rather than later by the text message I received this morning, so I'll most likely be coping on my own for a week" Carla shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal, going to pick up her pills from the counter internally fearful that she may not be able to cope on her own but she pushed it aside which meant it could still give her a fright when these feelings appeared

"I don't know Car, I don't want you working yourself up…unless, no it's stupid" Michelle sighs trying to think of a plan to deal with the situation, using every single brain cell in her head

"Go on, you were obviously thinking of something"

"I booked the honeymoon suite which came in the wedding package as it looked a little weird if I didn't book it… I could ask if I could bring it forward, and we could get away for a bit, there's a spa" Michelle smiles bringing the website up on her phone looking for a contact number

"I mean, yeah okay I wonder if they do one of those pregnancy massages this baby is killing my back"

"Or it could be from where you were sat in the corner of the room last night?" Kate replies stepping out the spare room, dark circles under her eyes from having to watch Carla for the majority of the night as Carla bit her lip guiltily

"Carla you know you shouldn't do that, were you still struggling after I left?" Michelle sighs starting to feel guilty about the situation and for leaving Carla with the likes of Leanne who didn't know how to look after her properly

"A bit, it wasn't much really"

"Liar" Kate replies angry that Carla was not showing her real feelings knowing that it wouldn't help her recovery

"I want the truth Carla" Michelle sighs, like Kate, knowing that if Carla was being secretive then she would not recover

"Ok fine, the gun shot reminded me of being trapped in that factory that time, there I said it, now can the mafia leave me alone?" Carla snaps heading to the bathroom to take a breather from feeling stupid about revealing her fears to Michelle

"She needs Peter…" Kate starts and Michelle nods her head slowly in agreement with Kate

"I might go and see him to see if he could maybe think about discharging himself because I think both me and you know that this will stop when Peter gets out of that hospital"

"I'll keep her entertained if you want to go and see him?" Kate offers although she would like to sleep some more but if she could convince Carla to have a lazy day with her then she could probably have a nap

"Sure, I'll sneak out now"

"There's something else" Kate starts as Michelle starts to do up her coat, not really knowing whether it was a good idea to reveal things without Carla being there

"Ok, now you're worrying me"

"She was going on about someone called Tony"

"You what?" Michelle replies incredulously thinking about how Carla had that man buried in the deepest parts of her brain, now she really did need to speak to Peter if Tony Gordon was in the front of her mind

"I didn't want to mention anything but I thought you needed to know" Kate sighs knowing that if Carla found out that she would have a fit and be very angry, probably angry is an understatement

"This just gets better, right I need to go so I will see you later, make sure you keep her indoors, I don't want to deal with any more triggers today"

* * *

Michelle was a the hospital trying to remember the ward Peter was in and the directions to go so that she could inform him on information about Carla, she didn't want to put any pressure on his recovery as well as Carla's but it was a toss-up between the two of them but she knew that Peter really needed to know about what happened when that gun went off in the Rover's that evening and how it affected Carla to the extent that Kate was up practically all night watching her mumble incoherently about the factory siege, she just hoped that because Carla's mind was so delicate this didn't cause her to have any hallucinations or hearing voices knowing that it would most likely lead to another trip in a mental health ward.

"Peter?" Michelle knocks gently on the door to his room

"Oh Hi Michelle, I'm sorry about Robert" Peter smiles but frowns after he notices Carla wasn't behind her "Where's Carla?"

"I have something to tell you"

"I'm afraid that's going to have to wait, I don't know what to do Peter" Michelle sighs fiddling with her fingers wondering how Carla was coping with Kate today wondering if this was the right thing to do

"What's happened now, Carla hasn't relapsed has she?" Peter panics slightly thinking of the worse possible scenario which could happen to Carla, feeling helpless as he was still in here and now able to help her

"Oh I don't know, I went out and got absolutely hammered didn't I and I wasn't there but Kate was and she just admitted, well I say admitted, she was forced more likely to admit that she was having dreams about the factory siege"

"You're kidding…What did Kate do?" Peter questions sitting up in his bed starting to get increasingly concerned about Carla's mental wellbeing

"Well she watched her sleep the whole night, but apparently before she got her into bed, she was talking about, I'll say it as Carla said it 'Tony…He was there wasn't he? With the gun?" Michelle says biting her lip hoping that Peter's reaction would be somewhat positive in this bleak situation

"Right I'm discharging myself you two can't go on like this" Peter sighs getting out of bed grabbing onto one of the crutches and using it to walk to the person who was managing the ward spending around 15 minutes with the nurse before returning to Michelle

"Right, the doctors getting me discharge papers then, we're going home" Peter sighs waiting for the doctor to return "Is she with Kate now?"

"Yeah, Kate told me to come here and speak to you, I think Carla really needs you now, I was going to ask you to discharge yourself, I thought it was a bit cheeky of me to do that to be honest" Michelle shrugs checking her phone noticing 5 missed phone calls from Kate immediately dialling her number as Peter's heart starts racing

"Kate what's happened, is Carla alright?"

"No, she wants Peter, she's locked herself in the bathroom"

"Right, we'll be there as soon as we can ok, hold in there"

"She's locked herself in the bathroom" Michelle starts as Peter gets up and hobbles to the desk in his ward determined to write the discharge papers as she follows in hot pursuit wanting the same thing as Peter

"Right let's get out of here" Peter says whilst scribbling his signature roughly on the discharge papers grabbing his crutches and heading back home with Michelle

* * *

Michelle put her foot down, no doubt she would've been done for speeding but she didn't care, they both needed to get home to Carla who was obviously very distressed after hearing from Kate, they didn't know what state of mind they would find her in, where she'd hurt herself or whether she was on the floor crying hysterically unable to cope with the torment which was no doubt going on in her head and the fact that she didn't have her stress ball concerned them both as she could've injured her hands by picking at them subconsciously when trying to calm down.

"You had something to tell me?" Michelle says turning onto Victoria Street

"I was actually planning to propose to her, new years eve I was wondering if I had your blessing considering I wasn't exactly around to do it then?" Peter smiles gently hoping that Michelle would support him

"I think that it will be a wonderful thing to do, you make her so happy and she loves you so much, so I support your decision" Michelle grins excited that Carla might be getting married soon as she reverses into the parking space before they both head up to the flat

"Carla, let me in darlin', come to the door" Peter says calmly standing at the bathroom door as Kate stands beside him with her arms crossed leaning against the wall

"Peter?" she says standing at the door the fear of opening it prominent in her mind, her hand not wanting to grasp onto the handle, she felt safe here, she didn't want to be out in the open where everyone can see her

"It's me, I need you to open the door ok, you need to be really brave for me"

"Peter, I can't, I'm sorry, please don't hate me" Carla cries gently as tears trickle down her face as she wipes at her cheeks furiously trying to pull herself together

"Hey, it's alright I don't hate you, I love you so much ok I know you're not going to like me asking this next question, is there anyone in there with you Carla?"

"No, I feel safe in here" she replies rubbing her bump as the baby squirms inside her

"Can I come in, so I can be safe too?" Peter asks knowing that he is manipulating her a bit to let him inside but he needed to check her over in case she hurt herself, as the door opens he rushes in scooping her up in a hug

"It's too much Peter, I can't do this anymore" she cries into his chest starting to come to terms with what made her go into the bathroom in the first place

"Can I have a look at your hands sweetheart, I just need to make sure we don't need to clean them up" Peter smiles taking Carla's hands and looking at them, pleasantly surprised that she hadn't hurt them

"Thank you sweetheart, I love you ok so much and this little one" Peter smiles placing a hand on her bump as the baby moves under his hands

"Someone's pleased to see you" Carla smirks slightly still holding onto Peter, her arms grasped around his neck

"I know something that will cheer you up, how about we open your Christmas presents that you haven't opened yet?" Peter suggests trying to make her feel happier

"Really?" she bites her lip trying to quell her excitement taking his hand and helping him into the living room

"There's one for Kate and Michelle under there as well if you want to do the honours" Peter grins as Carla grabs some of the presents giving Kate and Michelle their ones

"Thanks Car" Michelle grins opening it up to reveal a perfume box before she gasps "This stuff is hella expensive! Thank you so much"

"It's from both of us, you've been such a great support and I wanted to get you something really special" Carla smiles taking a seat in between her and Kate

"And this one's for you, I think you'll like it" Carla grins handing her a box shaped gift

"Carla! This is too much, I've hardly been your best friend this past year especially after everything, you didn't have to do this" Kate sighs at the box which contained some make up brushes, nail varnishes and a colourful eye shadow palette

"Don't, I don't want to hear it"

"I feel bad now because all I got you was some snacks from around the world" Kate bites her lip guiltily feeling bad for not getting her more

"I wanted to treat you, that's not a sin"

"Right this is your stocking you didn't open on Christmas day, just some little nick nacks to help you in the next few months" Peter smiles handing over the stocking knowing that Carla liked to act childish at times

"There's a lot in here Peter, all this wrapping paper is going to be hell to clear up" Carla tuts digging into the stocking and bringing out a small rectangular box and unwrapping it to reveal some earrings, simple but elegant with a black sapphire in them "Wow, how much did these cost?"

"That doesn't matter, you deserve to be treated after the year you've had" Peter smiles bringing her in for a hug as she sits on his lap

"Thank you baby"

"The other things are mainly just pregnancy essentials, that body butter stuff they recommend as well as lavender muscle soak and shower gels" Peter grins pecking her on the nose as she unwraps it all on his lap throwing the wrapping paper everywhere

"You got my favourite bath bombs as well, thank you so much" Carla grins pecking kisses all over his face and hugging him tightly

"There's also one more thing…care to get off my lap so I can show you?"

"Sure" she grins excited about what it is glancing to Michelle who was giddy with excitement knowing what it was having spoken to Peter briefly about it in the car earlier

"Ok you need to be blindfolded" Michelle grins grabbing her scarf and wrapping it around Carla's eyes as she stands with a hand on her hip Peter returning in the room with a small square box standing in front of her

"You can take it off now" Peter says as Carla swipes the blindfold on biting her lip as she watches Peter bite his, highly anxious at what the answer will be

"Carla Connor, will you marry me?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Deadly serious"

"Peter…I don't know what to say?"

"How about yes? Look I understand if it's a really big decision to make for you right now ok with your recovery and all that but I wanted to do it properly apart from the down on one knee thing for obvious reasons"

"Hmm let me think for a bit"

"Get on with it then, my old legs can't keep standing like this forever"

"Ok then, yes, yes I will marry you, again" she smiles tearfully, tears of happiness streaming down her face as Peter kisses her passionately weaving his hands through her hair

"Let me do the honours then" he grins grabbing her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger as she glances down and looks at the platinum band which had diamonds implemented along the centre, simple but elegant as well as having a bit of bling along with a small stone that had a dark grey tinge to it, in a clasp

"It's amazing, I love it so much" she smiles as more tears fall down her face from pure happiness a stark contrast to what she was like an hour ago

"Gosh your hormones are all over the place aren't they, love" Peter smiles wiping her cheeks for her as she hugs him so happy that he was home

"I'm definitely making myself scarce tonight due to all the love making which is going to happen tonight" Kate grimaces at the thought of her sister doing the act

"Kate!" Carla exclaims shaking her head before turning to Peter realising how in love she really was and how the ring on her finger made her have butterflies in her belly

"Ey, congratulations you!" Michelle smiles bringing Carla into a hug "Do you want to do the honours?"

"Oh yes, time to notify the group chat"


	25. Chapter 25

**I thought I'd try a different layout. Thank you all for the lovely reviews, I hope you enjoy this installment :)**

* * *

3rd January 2020

It was Carla's birthday and Peter was determined to make it special for his fiancée. They were in absolute in awe with each other but Carla was starting to become skeptical whether they could pull this off for a second time with Peter considering what happened the last time they got hitched. Carla still wanted to enforce her babymoon plans more than ever with the help of Michelle, she saw this as a gift to give Peter for his birthday and the anniversary of when they got back together, except it would be more like on their first anniversary due to the fact she would be almost 8 months pregnant by then. Peter was thinking of ways to treat Carla on her birthday as he was running out of ideas so he decided that he would wait on her hand and foot and spoil her rotten at home knowing that she wouldn't be confident enough to go out for a meal but he did have one more idea up his sleeve courtesy of Michelle

"Wakey wakey birthday girl" Peter grins as Carla rests on his chest thankful that he was home for her wondering what surprises he would have for her today

"So cringe" she groans before squirming and running to the bathroom to throw up Peter trying to follow her without his crutches, his legs still feeling a little weak from being the coma

"I would help but I can't really bend down without being able to get up again"

"It's fine, well that didn't happen for a while wonder what set it off" she shrugs, brushing her teeth to get rid of the vile aftertaste in her mouth

"Come here" Peter says bringing her into a hug kissing her forehead as she looks up at him, her eyes which lost their sparkle finally back in full force

"Is there any strawberry ice cream?" Carla grins as she snuggles into Peter's warm embrace still standing in the bathroom

"Yeah, bit early for that isn't it?" Peter questions and Carla just hums in response obviously still loving the contact that there was between them in this moment, she didn't want it to end

"I'm gonna hop back into bed for a bit to see if I can feel a little better" she sighs leaving his embrace so she can snuggle under the duvet with her favorite fluffy blanket on top of the bed as Peter potters around in the kitchen getting some dry foods so he could attempt to help her settle her stomach, returning to the bedroom shortly after

"I bought you a mixture of things do you reckon you'll be able to eat some for me so we can get your medication sorted for the day?" Peter offers her the plate as she sits up in bed to eat the buttered toast and take a sip of her fresh orange juice which Peter got for her

"What's the plan for today?"

"Well I have your cards and presents out there so I can bring them in here if you want and we take one step at a time, how does that sound?" Peter smiles not wanting to push her to do anything she doesn't want to do knowing that she was really sensitive at the moment

"Alright, I cant wait to see what you've got me" Carla grins tucking into the buttered crackers grateful for the dry foods not making her heave over the toilet on her birthday

"Right, here you are my dear" Peter grins placing the presents next to her on the bed as she places the tray on the bedside table wincing in the process

"You alright?"

"Foot in rib, giving me a right battering, had been all night"

"You should've woken me" Peter sighs wanting to be there for her knowing how hard she was struggling with everything that happened over the past few weeks

"You looked peaceful and plus you wouldn't have been as useful as you are being now, so let me open these" she grins smiling at him as she opens the first present which was a pair of fox booties for the baby as well as a little fox outfit and a matching hat

"Look I can take them back if you don't like them, I kind of thought that we needed to start buying stuff and these were under the gender neutral section so I thought they were cute" Peter grins watching Carla look at them

"I love them, they're so soft is this bamboo or something?" Carla questions obviously Underworld still tuned in her system

"It is, nice and soft for the baby's skin" he grins and Carla smirks at how sweet he was being even though it was borderline cringey

"I wonder what's in this one?" Carla grins shaking the two rectangular boxes stacked on top of each other, ripping the wrapping paper off them both noticing they were two black rectangular boxes, she sighs "This isn't more jewelry is it?"

"Open it and see" he smiles tapping her on the nose as she shakes her head opening the box and gasping

"Peter this is amazing, thank you so much" Carla replies emotionally looking down at the two basic silver bands on the red material which lined the box, one small enough for the baby and another one for her

"You can engrave them if you want or you can leave them plain, I just thought it would be a nice heirloom for you both, a keepsake" Peter smiles taking her hand as she goes to give him a hug trying to keep her emotions in tact but the pregnancy was threatening to derail that

"There's also one more present as well, courtesy of Michelle but for both of us" Peter grins handing her the envelope she frowns before opening it realizing it was a confirmation for the honeymoon suite at one of Manchester's leading hotels

"When?"

"Now if you want?" Peter grins excited about seeing if she wanted to get away knowing that the environment would be a positive one for her

"Really? You aren't pulling my leg?"

"No I have some bags packed so it's up to you if you feel up to it"

"Yeah, let's go" she grins excitedly going to get ready in the bathroom after grabbing her clothes from the wardrobe

* * *

They got a taxi to the hotel and to say Carla was amazed was an understatement when they got in their room, there was a large king size bed, feature wall behind, open planned bathroom with a massive jacuzzi bathtub in the corner as well as a walk in wardrobe, she physically gasped at the intricate detail and amazed how Michelle and Peter managed to pull this off together, she knew this was the break she needed for now and couldn't wait to surprise Peter with the babymoon surprise she had up her sleeve but first she was going to make the most of this room and chill.

"What do you think?" Peter questions in anticipation knowing that the room would need to be up to Carla's standards and that was always hard to please

"I love it, thank you so much, someone else likes it as well" Carla sighs raising her eyebrows rubbing her bump gently before laying down on the bed Peter lying beside her with both of their hands on her bump

"We need to talk as well, don't worry it's nothing bad" Peter smiles as she moves around to face him poking his cheek as he grins at her at how cute she was being

"I'm sorry, I scared you didn't I, when I locked myself away" she sighs as Peter brings her into a hug kissing her forehead stroking her hair in case she wants to let out her emotions

"You did, I was so scared, I just want to understand, me and Michelle had a little chat that's all and I was really worried when she told me that gunshot reminded you of being locked in the factory that time" Peter smiles shuffling under the covers as Carla follows him wanting to be close to him

"It did, I was so scared it felt like my world was ripped away from me" she replies biting her lip in case Peter thought she was stupid

"Can you promise me something?"

"Depends what it is?"

"Talk to me, I won't think you're stupid ok, I just want to understand so I can work with Scott and Ciara to find out what's going on in your head"

"The only way I can describe it as feeling numb and like my body's been taken over by someone else, maybe its this pregnancy which is causing this all the changes which are happening to my body" she replies as tears fall down her face which Peter wipes away feeling so proud of Carla for revealing the truth

"Ok come here, shh" Peter sighs as she sobs into his chest finally realizing how much she depends on him to help her get through this and get better

"I did something , I didn't tell you because I was scared you send me away again" she says moving the duvet and pulling down her leggings slightly as Peter looks at her skin shocked at what she had inflicted on herself

"Oh Carla, darlin you know I have to ring Scott don't you?" Peter sighs knowing that there is a possibility of another medication increase again or even a care plan with Scott coming every day to see her

"I know, I just needed to mentally prepare myself for that, I don't even know what I used" she sighs relatively calm about the situation as Peter still holds her close as she flicks the duvet over herself again

"I understand, it must be hard having things sprung on you, especially when you feel like you can't cope, I just want the best for you and our little one" Peter smiles rubbing the swell of her stomach as she grins up at him, her eyes still lined with tears

"I'm so tired of it all Peter, it reminds me of being back in Carlisle that time, you know" she sighs fiddling with her hands, picking at them when Peter gently pry's them away from each other in a bid to stop the risk of her injuring herself

"I remember…"

* * *

_Flashback_

_It was a generic day, a day which was laced with happiness and the greatest fear of finally having Carla back all to himself, Peter's concerns were still there of course they were but he was finally happy that Carla had received her first day release from the unit that day and he wanted to make sure he had everything ready for her, the plan was to take her to a calming area of the nearby countryside, a place he found when he went for a walk one day to clear his head hoping it would help clear hers and give her a new outlook._

_He entered the psychiatric ward, the place which had become home to her in the last week or so, a place where she felt safe and he felt safe leaving her with the staff here along the longing deep within him wanting to protect her and have her by his side all the way today, he sat in the waiting room twiddling his unlit cigarette in his hands as a distraction until Carla's practitioner gestured for him to go through the security door and took him to a side room._

_"Is everything ok?" Peter questions, the ever-growing dread in the pit of his stomach, his heart racing at the anticipation of seeing Carla at possibly would be her lowest eb_

_"All I'm going to say is that she's had a very difficult night, we had to supervise her again as this was particularly bad she injured herself, we're still working on calming her down at the moment and we think that you might be able to help us get all of these unhelpful emotions out" _

_"She was doing so well, are you sure it's wise if I see her?"_

_"I think she would welcome a bit of outside contact right now, she's still quite jumpy so I will have to warn you her barriers may get thrown up, so if you would like to come with me" the practitioner suggests leading Peter out of the room and down the corridor to Carla's room_

_Carla's room was painted a light shade of yellow on one wall and the rest a cream colour which was seemed as a calming technique, but Peter just thought the practitioners were talking rubbish when they emphasized this comment to him, he peered under the slatted blinds which were there to provide privacy to the delicate situation which was going on in the room. Peter stepped in the room gingerly not wanting to make the situation any worse, wondering if Carla was given a sedative as she seemed very spaced out listening to the audio-book they placed in the room hoping to lull her into calmer serenities, Peter stepped quietly to kneel in front of her, one to move her hair out of her face, and two to disrupt her trance which was worrying him slightly._

_"Hey beautiful" Peter whispers kissing her forehead gently, caressing her hair gently relishing in the fact that she was his_

_"Peter" she mumbles gently not giving him eye contact, pointing to the corner of the room_

_"What darling?" Peter questions confused at her antics as her eyes widen_

_"They were there, and they kept me in here, why?" she questions as tears fall furiously down her face, the pain of them staining her face_

_"Because you're not well, love" Peter sighs gently, one of his hands holding hers and the other still stroking her hair_

_"They wanted me to do this, because I'm bad" Carla sobs gently rolling up her sleeves for Peter to see her injuries, where her nails ripped some of the skin on her arms_

_"Who wanted to do this to you sweetheart?" Peter smiles reassuringly hoping it will cause her to open up a bit more_

_"Kate, Johnny, Imran, they hate me"_

_"They don't sweetheart, they're just grieving, they'll come round" _

_"They're punishing me for killing Rana I deserve it" she yawns obviously tired from her earlier panic, her exertions of pacing around the room under the intense watchful eye of her paranoia poking and prodding her to do things which made her body tired and drowsy_

_"Why don't you get some sleep, I'll stay here for a while until you go off" _

_"I love you"_

* * *

"I don't remember a lot of it to be honest but the things I do remember, it was so scary Peter and I don't want to be _that_ bad again" she starts as tears fill her eyes of the horrid memories she replayed in her mind of being trapped in that small box-like room

"I know, I was scared, you were doing so well and, call it cringe, after a week or so of being in there I started to see a reduction of dullness in your eyes, I felt like I was getting you back" Peter smiles brushing a piece of straying hair away from her face which fell in front of her eyes

"I did feel better after the first week but then it was like someone flicked a switch in my brain that caused me to want punishment on myself" she smiles slightly, as Peter was amazed that she actually opened up about her time in the unit which she didn't do very often as it was a really dark place for her

"I'm so proud of you recognising this and being willing to speak to me about it, thank you" Peter smiles kissing her forehead placing a hand on her bump as the gentle rhythm of the baby tumbling around inside of Carla hit his hand

"I trust you so much and I don't think I would be able to cope if things were to go wrong again, I can't live without you Peter, never" she replies taking his hand and pressing a kiss to it

"I promise on our baby's life that I will not stray and I will not hurt you in anyway because I love you both so much more than I could ever imagine"

"Me too"


	26. Chapter 26

**18th March 2020**

It was the day of Carla and Peters one year anniversary as well as a year on from the factory roof collapse and Peter knew that today could either go badly or run smoothly, he was hoping for the latter. Carla was getting increasingly tired, the pregnancy having an adverse effect on her energy levels especially now that she was released from Scott's care-plan after being on it for a month for making good progress, Carla hated being watched over and monitored everyday but she knew that she wouldn't have a choice as she didn't want to be sectioned again, she wanted to be at home with Peter preparing the nursery which they would be doing tomorrow while she slept the whole day.

"Mmm Happy anniversary" she mumbles sleepily lying on Peter's chest at an awkward angle now because of the baby being in the way

"I was thinking maybe we could go to Roy's for breakfast, how does that sound?" Peter asks gently as she contemplates an answer to his question

"I wanna stay in, I just don't feel like going out, I want to be selfish and have you all to myself in our home" she grins and he kisses her head

"How about we stay in and just chill, you're obviously still very tired" Peter sighs bringing her in for a hug knowing that the increased medication is having an effect on her energy levels

"I feel bad though, for sleeping the whole day" she smiles settling back down to rest on Peter's chest from where she was looking up at him

"Don't, you obviously need the sleep, you were shifting around a lot last night" Peter smiles breathing in the scent of her hair as she washed it freshly last night after scolding her about drying it as he didn't want her to catch a chill and become ill

"My back was hurting quite a bit then I kept getting woken up" she whispers as Peter places a hand on her bump hoping to settle the baby a bit for her

"Is that better?"

"You woke it up, thanks" she sighs running a hand through her hair as Peter tilts her head up to kiss him

"I'm sorry, it's an active little thing isn't it?"

"Don't even start, I could literally sleep for years after I've popped this thing out" she groans placing her hand on her bump

"I'll tell you what, I will let you sleep as long as you want after you give birth, how about that?" he questions and she beams up at him excited about having sleep which will be undisturbed

"Ow!" she exclaims groaning at the end of her sentence, the baby stretching her skin which causes a burning sensation around her stomach

"Oh baby, can I do anything?"

"Bring Michelle back?" Carla sighs tearfully wanting her best friend there to coach her through labour and to meet the baby

"Hey, she'll be back sooner rather than later, has no one heard from her still?" Peter questions concerned about how Carla was going to cope in labour without Michelle by her side considering she planned it out precisely and he was worried that her plan may be ruined and she wouldn't cope

"No one knows where she's gone, she's selling the bistro, Johnny messaged me saying he saw the for sale sign, so she's still around"

"Oh Car, I'm sure she'll be here for the birth"

"I hope so because that's how I wanted it, you, me and 'Chelle maybe Kate but I don't know anymore" she shrugs not really knowing what to say about the situation but knowing what she wants deep down but knowing that the reality of the situation will threaten her plans

"Let's just see shall we you never know" Peter smiles bringing her into a hug again hoping that him being hopeful will help her think positively as well as provide some comfort

"We still alright for tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm ready for you to melt my debit and credit card"

"Good I have seen the most amazing black cot" she grins poking him in the cheek getting the laptop which was on the bedside table and bringing up the webpage to show him

"I like that one actually I thought I wouldn't because it was black but yeah it's nice, is it matt?" Peter questions taking the laptop off her taking a look at the images

"Hmm I think so, they do a gloss version, they have it in store so we can go and have a look tomorrow, they also do a matching dresser and they do an old style rocking chair but I don't really like it" she shrugs turning her nose up at the thought of having a wooden rocking chair in the nursery

"What colours we going for?"

"Hmm I have some swatches which Johnny got from that Ed guy who was doing their spare room, but I don't know maybe a grey feature wall and the rest of the walls white?"

"Yeah I mean we don't know the gender so that would be an option, let me guess you're roping Simon to do this?"

"Nope even better" she grins excited about how Peter would take this surprise that she had planned

"Oh god it's not Johnny is it?"

"Nope" she giggles rolling her eyes knowing that it would probably set off world war three if Johnny and Peter were in the same room together, trying to get along, with Johnny constantly bringing up Peter's flaws

"Tell me?"

"Well I thought it would be nice for you, Adam and Daniel to do something tomorrow, I said I'll look after Bertie whilst you all paint the room" she grins watching Peter smirk, shaking his head in amusement

"So you get to do something nice with a baby while we run around painting a room and assembling furniture?"

"Yes because I don't think I would be very good at it and you will probably be much better and plus this thing gets in the way so " she replies gesturing to her bump

"Hmm ok so I don't get to see you with your clipboard and pen like the good old days" he grins and she gives him a playful whack before getting up and heading to the bathroom as he laughs

* * *

It was getting towards the evening and Peter had managed to persuade Carla to go out for a drink with Kate and Maria so he could put a surprise together for her, something romantic which they could enjoy together so he waited until she returned home and rushed to the door to put a blindfold over her eyes along with her moaning constantly about ruining her makeup and adjusting to the lighting in the room as well as not being able to see.

"I have a surprise for you, you can take the blindfold off now" Peter grins taking her hand and leading her to their balcony which confuses her

"A picnic?" Carla questions confused how they can have a picnic on one of the world's smallest balcony's in the world so she just shrugged her shoulders, maybe there was still thoughts niggling away in the back of her mind that she didn't deserve it

"No it's a blanket with some food on it" he retorts sarcastically and she just grins at him giving him another playful whack on the chest

"Am I expecting any more surprises?" Carla questions hopeful that he has something better planned up his sleeve knowing that it probably won't top hers, well she hoped it didn't

"Well that would be telling"

"Please tell me, I will be very good and try not to break your hand in labour"

"You were planning that?" he replies incredulously as she bites her lip knowing that if he was to wind her up during labour he would be expecting broken bones

"I'm just kidding baby, I would never do that intentionally" she smirks taking a seat on the blanket as Peter helps her down onto the floor, this task becoming more difficult while carrying a baby

"Intentionally? great I'll have A and E on speed dial then shall I?"

"I'll apologise in advance don't worry, god it's going to hurt isn't it?" she bites her lip mentally trying to compare times in her life where labour wouldn't come close to hurting her but no there was nothing she could think of after hearing the horror stories from Michelle earlier on in her pregnancy

"Look, I know it's scary but I will be there to support you, Sarah will probably be there depending if she's on shift so you have nothing to worry about"

"What if things go wrong?"

"Then we will deal with it if it does but there's no point worrying about it unless it happens ok" Peter smiles kissing her forehead trying to stop her panic knowing that he couldn't really provide in depth answers she wanted

"Anyway I've done all this for you and you haven't given me anything in return?" he replies cheekily giving him a playful poke

"Ah that's where you're wrong" she grins handing him an envelope biting her lip to contain her excitement

"Really?" Peter questions

"Yes really we leave on Friday" she smiles

"I'm surprised you didn't want to go abroad, somewhere hot?" he questions knowing how Carla loved hot countries but she just shrugs

"I'll be honest I just wanted to stay in this country in case I didn't cope abroad like when we were in Venice so I thought why not go somewhere I know, well actually Michelle was meant to be helping me plan a trip abroad but now that she isn't here, I chose Devon somewhere familiar, it's a little cabin on a cliffside by a beach, it was really calming I stayed there once whilst I was having work done on my house down there and it was amazing, the scenery was to die for and it was just…amazing, it's the only way I can describe it, so what do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea" he grins pecking her on the nose which she scrunches her face up to thankful that his surprise might top this

"We leave on Friday, so I need that nursery done by the end of the day tomorrow" she smirks knowing she was being borderline bossy but he didn't mind as long as she was happy

"It will be done, now don't worry about it in your pretty little head ey?" he grins moving her so she was sat in between his legs placing his hands on her bump as the baby ripples under her skin

"What's in the hamper?" she asks curiously observing in front of her, it was playing on the back of her mind since she sat down knowing that Peter probably put all of her cravings in one basket to treat her

"Have a look, I can tell you're starving" he retorts and she just glares at him whilst opening the hamper and rummaging around

"Very cliché Peter, strawberries dipped in chocolate, at least be a little more creative" she tuts taking the tub out of the hamper rolling her eyes

"If you don't want them-"

"I never said that did I?" she snaps, at this point Peter knows her hormones are taking over her emotions now and he just holds his hands up in surrender

"Hormones" he mutters smirking slightly as she slaps him playfully on the arm giving him a quick peck on the cheek as forgiveness

"You got those chocolate brownies from the bakery in the precinct!" she exclaims taking a massive bite out of the brownie which was now half eaten as she holds it up to Peter's mouth for him to eat the rest knowing that these were her most popular craving of the pregnancy

"You're going to be sick if you eat all of them" he retorts as she now starts her third brownie desperate to give the baby what it wants but at this point she doesn't know if it's her or the baby

"Mmm the baby appreciates it though and I want to keep it happy so if this is the way to do it then it's happening" she grins raising her eyebrows putting a chocolate covered strawberry on top of the brownie and eating it taking in the taste of all the foods together, humming in appreciation

"Anything to make you have an easier time I guess, is there anything you want for dinner?"

"I really want…Chinese"

"Chinese we shall have then, then I can treat you a mini spa session in the bathroom, candles the works? What do you say?"

"Good idea…What's this?" Carla questions holding out a rectangular leather box as she open's it gingerly which she got from the hamper

"That my dear is your surprise" he grins excited about how she was going to take this especially as he was springing it on her without her consent

"Wow, it's beautiful, so intricate I bet it cost a bomb" she sighs knowing that Peter was only trying to treat her but the price always played on her mind, as she ran her finger along the diamonds which were clasped together in shard-like shapes

"You deserve it, and plus I saw it in the shop and I just knew it would suit you" Peter grins holding the necklace gesturing for him to put it on her which she grins to

"It's beautiful Peter, wow I'm lost for words, you've spoiled me so much"

"You're more than worth it"


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews, I thought you decided some more soft stuff so this chapter is mainly soft, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**19th March 2020**

Carla was excited about the day ahead as Peter, Daniel and Adam were going to be doing the nursery for her, she felt like they needed a bit of bonding considering Peter had been so wrapped up in her care plan months prior when she was at her lowest. Carla was going to look after Bertie in the flat after her and Kate went shopping together, whilst the boys did the painting, she was grateful that the landlord let them do this considering they were still renting, she was looking forward to looking after Bertie as it convinced her more that she would be a good mother to her child.

"Right will you three be on your best behaviour and make sure you do it right otherwise I will murder my lovely fiancée when I return home" Carla grins placing Bertie in the pram ready to take him out with Kate to the Trafford centre to buy the main things for the nursery, such as the cot, dresser and changing table maybe even the rocking chair.

"Oi Daniel, you want to watch her, she'll have your son turned into a shopping freak by the end of the day" Peter smirks as Carla glares at him while Adam tries to suppress laughter

"Please don't do anything which may influence his ability to survive a trip around the supermarket" Daniel smiles giving Bertie a kiss on the head

"You Barlow's should do stand-up you know, I'm really amused" she retorts going to give Peter a kiss on the cheek before putting her coat on to meet Kate in the café

"Bye, love"

* * *

Carla makes her way to the café with Bertie in the push chair, she was surprised at how much confidence Bertie gave her with doing everyday things, she was hopeful that this would be the same when her baby arrived, she enjoyed being Auntie Carla to Bertie, she would never admit it to anyone outside of the family, she was mesmerised that first time he was placed in her arms at Daniel and Sinead's wedding and he made her want to be a mum, that's why she decided to speak honestly to Peter in Venice about the possibility of them having another child together except she didn't expect it to happen as soon as it did and it shocked her as it wasn't planned but she didn't love her baby any less because of that, an unplanned pregnancy, a saving grace for both her and Peter, something for them both to commit to which pleased her.

"Hi Roy" Carla grins, approaching the counter deciding what she should have as a snack before her and Kate went out as she glanced behind her looking for her sister who decided to extend her stay to Weatherfield until the baby was born, especially now that Michelle had done a disappearing act

"Could I have a brew and how about an iced finger?" she grins and Roy nods going to collect her order

"Please do take a seat Carla and I'll bring it over" he says as she pushes the pram over to the far corner of the café taking Bertie out of it to sit him on her lap as he was being a bit grizzly, Roy places the plate down in front of her as Bertie attempts to grasp the iced finger on the plate

"Ah, ah" she scolds gently pushing the plate away from him as his bottom lip quivers and tears fill his eyes at Carla's refusal to give him a bit of her cake

"Don't use those eyes with me Mr" Carla smirks shaking her head and tapping him on the nose as he grabs her finger and shoving it into his mouth

"Hey" Kate smiles sitting down at the table opposite Carla "You have a friend I see"

"I do indeed, I'm meant to be looking after him for the day while Peter, Daniel and Adam paint the nursery" she grins as Bertie continues to suck on her finger

"He is so cute" Kate beams going to pinch Bertie's cheeks gently as he immediately ditches Carla's finger for Kate's and she just laughs at his bluntness

"Finally I can eat my cake now"

"Where are we going today then?"

"Trafford Centre to see if they have that cot and matching dresser and changing table, I also need to look at different rocking chairs as well instead of that hideous wooden one that was in the matching set" she grimaces at the thought and Kate just laughs

"Shall we get going then?" Kate questions holding up her car keys giving an overdramatic wave

"I don't suppose you could run up to the flat to get the car seat?"

"Sure you can sit in the car with him whilst I do it" Kate grins as they leave Roy's to go shopping, Carla hands Kate her flat key so she can get the car seat, returning with Daniel in tow

"It's a bit of a pain to get it in correctly" he says strapping the base of it to the seat of the car and sliding the actual seat into place

"Ta, now make sure Peter does it right, he should know what he's doing"

"Well he painting all the walls grey and one white" Daniel states watching Carla's face become very menacing very quickly as if she would murder someone

"Well he'll be moving out if he does that" Carla huffs getting into the car as Daniel laughs heading back up to the flat

* * *

Kate and Carla head into the town centre, first stop Babies R Us where Carla was planning to look at some of the cots, deciding that she would be better at doing it than Peter would be as well as Kate's input to ensure she got the right one for the room. Bertie was babbling away happily to himself for most of the journey, playing with the toys which were hanging off his car seat.

"Right, can you lift him out so I don't do my back in" Carla grins as Kate unstraps Bertie lifting him into her arms as Carla unfolds the pram and places him in it ready to start their shopping adventure

"I like this one" Carla says looking at a dark brown cot which had a glossy effect to it and was amazed at how it could convert to toddler and baby really easily and the colour was dark enough to match the colour of the room which made it a contender for her top three

"Where was the one which you originally liked?" Kate questions as they walk around the store trying to find it

"It was this one, I'm not sure though, it's matt but I'm worried that the paintwork will chip easily instead of the gloss finish, thinking about it I don't really like it now I've seen it in person"

"Well you don't have much time to decide" Kate replies raising her eyebrows as Carla glares at her

"I think I'm going to go for the first one you know, I feel it's my style and matches the theme of the flat as well as it being really easy to convert which I like, I'll just get the matching dresser and changing table" she grins as Bertie starts to wail loudly as Carla takes him out of the pram holding him on her hip

"Hey darlin' don't cry" Carla sooths him as he snuggles into her chest giving him a peck on the head as his cries soften to little sniffles

"Aww he loves his Auntie Carla doesn't he" Kate grins stroking Bertie's hair as he clings on to her

"He's probably tired poor love, we should get him back now that I've decided" Carla says putting him back in the pram now that he's settled

"Right then is there anything else you need?" Kate questions in case she forgets something

"I can order the rest online to be honest, I just want to get him home as he seems really grumpy" Carla sighs pushing the pram to leave the shop

* * *

Kate drives both Carla and Bertie back to the street, Bertie sleeping peacefully in his car seat gripping on to Carla's finger and sucking on it instead of his dummy, Carla didn't mind though she seemed happy to let him do what he wanted as long as it meant that Bertie didn't cry and make the car journey unbearable. Carla hated the sound of his cries, they made her feel kind of distraught in case she gave him the wrong thing, she loved Bertie like he was one of her own and that made her have more confidence considering everyone always mentioned how good she was with him as well as feeling embarrassed because of her icy exterior.

"We're home!" Carla shouts carrying Bertie to the sofa and laying him in the crook of her arm as he bashes his teething toy on her other arm

"Hi, love" Peter grins, a smear of paint on his cheek which Carla smirks to wishing that she would join in with the fun of painting the room

"Hey, I don't suppose Daniel has any food for him if not I'll make some little snacks for him?" Carla grins as Bertie babbles away, still in the crook of her arm

"Daniel!" Peter calls and an unamused Daniel appears with paint covered all over himself

"Have you been in fight with a paint gun or summat?" Carla smiles unable to suppress her amusement to the situation especially at Daniel's facial expression which was a picture

"No Peter decided it would be a good idea to paint everyone" Daniel retorts sarcastically trying to mock offence to Peter's cheekiness

"Anyway, I don't suppose you have any snacks for him do you, he wanted to have some of my iced finger earlier even cried for it poor thing"

"Oh…I've fed him fried chicken and takeaway pizza from the kebab shop before so I wouldn't worry about an iced finger" Daniel grins rummaging through the bag he brought with him taking out some carrot sticks and various other bits of vegetables

"Borderline child abuse but thanks for this, is he teething or something he seems to be quite unsettled, he's usually more docile than this" Carla grins holding out a carrot stick for him to take which he does, chewing on it making sure it satisfies his teeth and gums

"You wait until it happens with your little un' trust me it's a nightmare, they drool everywhere, he needs a permanent bib sometimes, don't you mate?" Daniel grins giving him a kiss on the head which Bertie looks up to confused at the affection he just received before returning to gnawing on the carrot stick

"I don't mind, he's happy so go on you two get on with it, we are going to have some fun aren't we?" Carla grins as Bertie looks up at her his face breaking into a smile

"You can practice walking with him, he's pretty good at it now, still stumbles around a bit" Daniel smiles heading off into the spare bedroom

"How was shopping?" Peter asks sitting on the arm of the sofa patting Bertie's head as he gazes up at Peter intrigued by the attention he was receiving

"Yeah I found one that I like it has a matching dresser and changing table, really easy to convert to toddler as well so I think I'm going to get that one, didn't see a moses basket I liked so I might look online for that"

"Right as long as you get it sorted, I'm sure it will look amazing either way" Peter grins tapping her on the nose and kissing Bertie on the forehead

"Right then Bertie what do you want to do then? Shall we do some walking?" Carla beams placing him in the floor so he can cling on to the sofa

"Come to Auntie Carla" she grins as Bertie stumbles over to her, ignoring the fact he almost fell over in the process before she holds him close

"Well done darlin' shall we go and see what your dad's up to?" Carla grins picking him up and balancing him on her hip taking him into the spare bedroom not really knowing what else to do with him

"Hey guys, it's looking good well done" Carla beams leaning on the door frame holding Bertie on her hip

"At least we get some recognition, Peter's been cracking the whip too much for my liking" Adam groans poking Bertie on the nose as he grabs onto his finger

"Has he been walking Carla?" Daniel questions coming over to see his son

"He has been, he's quite good at it aren't you poppet?" Carla grins as Bertie turns to look at her grabbing some of her hair

"Sorry he's in the hair pulling phase, Beth was having a right hard time of it" Daniel apologises watching Bertie shove Carla's hair in his mouth and chew on it

"Ah I see, can I have my hair sweetie?" Carla smiles trying to gather it up from his mouth before replacing it with her finger

"Thank you darlin', right little character aren't you?"

"Right, we're just about done I think " Peter states stepping back to admire his work as Adam rolls his eyes

"Bout time really isn't it?" Adam tuts placing a paintbrush into the can of paint obviously not really wanting to continue painting the walls

"I can't believe the landlord let us do this" Carla smiles looking at the handywork, impressed that they managed to pull it off

"Right Daniel how about a pint in the Rover's?" Adam asks knowing that Carla and Peter are probably fed up with them both being in their flat

"Sure why not" Daniel shrugs "Don't suppose you want to have Bertie for a bit longer?"

"Sure I love having him" Carla grins as Bertie yawns obviously tired from the day's events, resting his head in between Carla's neck and shoulder

"Sound I'll pick him up when I finish, have fun little mite" Daniel smiles giving Bertie a kiss on the cheek before heading off with Adam to the Rover's

"You like it then?" Peter questions making sure Carla wasn't just being nice in front of Daniel and Adam

"No…I love it" she appraises as Peter wraps his arms around her waist, resting his hands on her bump as the baby kicks at it, a welcome inside to domestic bliss with Carla

"Good, now why don't you show me how well Bertie can do his walking?" Peter suggests as she turns around to face him giving him a cheeky slap on the cheek

"Probably better than you"

"Very funny"


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, I really apprecaite them, I hope you enjoy x**

* * *

**22nd March 2020**

Today was Mother's Day, although Carla wasn't physically a mother yet Peter decided he wanted to use this day as a way to celebrate her becoming one, they were on their mini break in Devon, Peter wanted to take her for a nice meal out if she was feeling up to it as a way to say thank you for carrying his baby. He also wanted Carla to reflect on the baby she lost today and he was determined to be her rock. Peter slipped out of the king sized bed and got her card as well as a few presents for her, some more clothes for the baby which would add to the collection that they accumulated at Christmas and her birthday.

"Peter make it stop" Carla whines groaning in discomfort, shifting around in bed

"Lovely to see you this morning" Peter grins shaking his head in amusement at Carla whining before sliding back into bed and wrapping his arms around her

"This thing is getting in the way, sleep should be comfortable not damn right annoying" she complains poking her bump sarcastically, repeating the movement over and over again as Peter sighs in exasperation

"Oh we are in a bad mood this morning, aren't we?" Peter smirks swatting her hand away from where she was previously poking her bump repetitively knowing that she would regret making the baby's movements more continuous

"Well you would be if you had a watermelon attached you at all times, can this thing just get out of me already?" she complains as Peter rubs her bump for her hoping that it was providing her with some relief

"So then, what do you want to do today, as it's mother's day?" Peter asks bringing her so she was sat in between his legs on the bed, resting his chin on her head as well as kissing her head every now and then

"Hmm maybe we could go for a meal somewhere, I could show you my old house if you want?" Carla suggests as she places both of her hands on her bump the baby moving her skin and stretching it which was causing her skin to itch a little

"Ok, I saw a nice restaurant yesterday when I went to look at the harbour, and I would love to see where you and Nick Tilsley were going to be living together" Peter smirks still not being able to believe that Carla and Nick were an item as well as stopping her from itching her skin

"Oh shut it, I knew that was going to come out of your mouth" Carla grins holding one of Peter's hands and fiddling with his fingers thankful he didn't scold her for scratching her skin

"No but seriously I'd love to see where you used to live but before we do I have some presents for you" Peter grins leaving Carla in bed as he goes to get her presents

"Ooo really?"

"Here you are" Peter smiles placing them on her lap as she rapidly opens the first one excited about what Peter may have got her

"Oh my god, this is so cute, we are getting some photo opportunities with this" Carla grins taking out the brown fluffy baby romper suit which has little bear ears we well as little bear feet booties

"You like it?"

"I love it, let me open the rest"

"This one is just basic necessities" Peter explains at her confused expression at the items which were in the present which were some basic white body suits

"Ah, and this one?" she asks holding up the last of her presents giving it a shake to see if she could figure out what was in it

"Open it and see" he grins poking her shoulder which she playfully swats his hand away from her realising Peter was indeed in a playful mood

"Aw that's a cute little set" Carla smiles opening the couple of two piece sets that were in the last present, two alternating yellow striped trouser sets with a top

"Right you go and get ready and I'll pack these up" Peter smiles smacking her butt as she heads towards the bathroom, she turns around and smirks at him as he shakes his head realising how in love he was

"Right can you do the zip up for me?" she grins stepping out in her new years eve dress which Peter hadn't yet seen on her

"Wow, you look amazing, I could rip that dress off you right now"

"No, you promised me a meal and a meal we shall have, let me just take my medication then we'll head off" Carla grins as Peter's face falls as she heads off to the kitchen in the cabin to get her pills

"Right then, we ready to go?"

"Yep. I've got the stress ball in case things get too much" she grins, shoving it in Peter's face giving it a squeeze before putting it in her hand bag as he swats her hand away

* * *

Peter drives them to a quaint little restaurant which was on a cliff near the harbour ready for their meal. He booked a secluded table so they were away from prying eyes, not that anyone knew who they were but he wanted make sure Carla had the confidence to tell him if she wanted to go, if things were getting too much. Carla was amazed at Peter's choice considering he was usually bad at choosing these things but relished in the fact he was taking such good care of her.

"Right then what you having to eat?" Peter questions mulling through the menu, looking at the main courses undecided as they all sounded so good

"Hmm probably the carbonara with garlic bread" she shrugs double checking the menu in case she missed anything which grabbed her fancy

"So predictable" he mutters as Carla whacks him with her napkin grinning in the process at how well he knew her, it was her go to meal during pregnancy when she didn't know what she wanted

"Let me guess you're going to have a steak with chips with the cheese dipping sauce" Carla replies mischievously tapping her nails on the table trying to hide her arrogance in case she was wrong

"No I was going to have the pan fried sea bass considering we are just off the harbour and all that" he smirks poking his tongue out at her

"Fair enough, I was looking at that but I didn't want to risk it considering it was sea food"

"Right then I'll go order these, be right back" he grins kissing her forehead as he disappears Carla grabs her stress ball giving it a squeeze watching it mould into different shapes

"It'll be ready in 20, you alright?" Peter checks in with her to ensure that she isn't trying to sit through her feelings noticing she had the stress ball in her hand, he used this as a way to tell if she was feeling stressed about the situation

"Just a bit, you know, I'm alright now that you're back" she shrugs not wanting to say the word hoping Peter understood and to show appreciation that he was back

"We don't have to stay for desert you know, we can go after" Peter suggests taking a sip of his orange juice as she nods slowly in agreement still unsure whether she wants to stay or go

"Can we go, I don't really want to be stressed out more than I have to" she admits and Peter holds her hand on the table hoping to provide comfort

"Let's eat and see how you feel, it'll be ready in a minute or so" Peter suggests rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as she avoids eye contact, her eyes downcast to her lap where she was squeezing the stress ball

"Ok"

* * *

They ate their food, Carla was mostly quiet for most of the meal after Peter tried to make conversation with her, he thought that maybe she was thinking about their late daughter knowing this day would be significant for her but he didn't want to mention it in case she wasn't thinking that and it made her emotions a lot worse, so he decided he would just take her back to their holiday home and spend time with her there identifying the root cause of her problems but he didn't want to push her in case things got out of hand and their holiday was ruined as a result.

"Do you want me to run you a bath, darlin?" Peter questions, his arm still wrapped around her waist as she turns to look at him contemplating his question to see if he was being genuine

"Please" she replies quietly as he leads her into the bathroom before leaving the room temporarily to collect her beanbag she liked to sit on if she wanted to be in the corner of a room where she felt safe so that she didn't injure her back, luckily he remembered to pack it in the car before they left

"Here you are" Peter smiles as he places the beanbag in the corner of the bathroom as she sits down on it as Peter runs her a bath

"Which one do you want?" Peter questions holding up the usual bath items Carla uses, the lavender muscle soak and a couple of bath bombs

"Muscle one, everything aches" she replies leaning her head back against the wall, sighing in the process, both of her hands covering her face

"The bath should help, is bubba annoying you?" he questions kneeling down in front of her holding her hand rubbing his thumb over her knuckles

"I just feel crampy, I don't know" she shrugs rubbing her stomach trying to reduce the achiness

"Oh baby, it's not contractions is it, you know those practice ones?" Peter asks helping her rub her stomach hoping to relieve the achiness she was experience

"Hmm might be, they're just uncomfortable, I can deal with them, they'll probably stop once I get in the bath" she smiles slightly still shifting around on the beanbag to get comfortable

"Want me to stay?" Peter asks as he helps her take off her dress by undoing the zip and helping her into the bath

"Yeah, could you give me a back massage?" she questions cheekily as Peter rolls his eyes taking his clothes off and getting in behind her rubbing her shoulders trying to relieve the tension in her muscles

"Mmm that was nice" she smiles leaning back into his chest as they both put their hands on Carla's stomach to see if the baby reacted to the affection it was receiving

"You feeling better?" Peter questions and Carla just sighs rubbing her stomach with some moisturising shower gel

"Yeah it's just moving around a fair bit"

"Gosh look at it, it's moving your skin, ew" Peter says feeling rather creeped out as Carla splashes him on purpose knowing that he was only joke

"Stop" she whines childishly, pouting her lips scratching her stomach

"Who's that aimed at me or the baby?" Peter chuckles sponging her down with her shower gel as well as massaging her bump with the sponge

"Both of you, you're both annoying must be in the genes, it's so itchy when it stretches it" she complains pushing a handful of bubble into his face which she laughs hysterically at

"You see that, you mummy is a right pain when she wants to be" Peter smirks tapping her bump as Carla swipes his hand away knowing it would provoke the baby to move more

"Oh very funny, I mean I don't think it takes after me at least, definitely the majority is you" Carla replies turning to face him giving him a sensuous kiss on the lips

"You wanna know something?" Peter questions as Carla turns to face him frowning

"You've been upgraded to the switch at streetcars, it's about time I can't believe the last time I mentioned this you hadn't been upgraded" she grins tilting her head, capturing his lips with hers as he rubs her back rolling his eyes

"No silly, I love you so much" he replies and she grins tilting her head to the side wrapping her arms around his neck nuzzling into his chest

"I love you too, so does this one, so does Simon" Carla lists as Peter kisses her forehead patting her bump as Peter puts his hand over hers

"How about we get out of here and I get the duvet and we snuggle on the sofa?"

"Sure as long as I choose the movie" she grins mischievously knowing that Peter will hate her choice already planning what to watch to annoy him

"Ok I'm going to ban 50 shades of grey and Love Actually" Peter retorts as Carla's face falls

"But-"

"No buts" he smiles poking her on the nose as she bites her lip

"I wanted to watch 50 shades…"

"Well I don't want to" he replies firmly as she rolls her eyes realising how boring he was being

"You're unbelievable, you know" she smirks biting her lip still turning to face Peter who was frowning at her

"How am I so unbelievable then?" he asks confused at what she meant

"You don't want to watch 50 shades because you won't be able to keep your hands off me" she smiles, suggestively moving her back against him as she was sat in between his legs

"Carla…" he replies quietly

"What?" she questions nonchalantly

"You know what"

"Give me some love then" she grins tilting her head to kiss him passionately making sure she gets what she wants, tempting him with her kisses

"Get out the bath then"


	29. Chapter 29

**So, I've actually planned out the ending of this fic I would say that there's probably only 5 or so chapters left, thank you fall all the support and lovely reviews x**

* * *

**5th April 2020**

Today was Peter's birthday and Carla was close to being full term and was getting rather irritable to say the least. Peter had the full wrath of Carla's moods as she was very uncomfortable as it was getting towards the end of her pregnancy, she still had just over a month to go and today she had a check-up with Sarah to see if the baby was starting to get into the right position for birth, she tried to rearrange it so it didn't land on Peter's birthday but there was no other available dates. Carla still hadn't heard from Michelle, she was getting increasingly worried that she wouldn't be here for her baby's birth so she decided to call her again, like she did every day since she left, she left numerous voice mails but nothing, she was just hoping she was listening to them as well as reading her texts.

"Happy birthday" Carla yawns stretching her back, entering the living room of their flat, then stretching her arms.

"You look shattered, love" Peter sighs knowing this pregnancy is really taking its toll on Carla, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"I am, I just can't get comfy any more" she shrugs going to boil the kettle for a cup of tea, being uncomfortable a regular occurrence now.

"You're so close now, just over a month to go then we'll meet this little one" Peter smiles wrapping his arms around her waist to rest his hands on her bump

"I just want it out of me" Carla sighs poking her bump as Peter gives her a hug kissing the side of her head hoping to reassure her.

"Do you want any breakfast?" Peter offers knowing it was almost midday as Carla thinks about what she wants deciding she didn't want anything.

"Not really I feel really meh" she replies leaning on the counter in the kitchen taking a sip of her tea, wishing it was a highly caffeinated coffee.

"You have Sarah don't you today?" Peter questions and she nods slowly taking another sip of her tea groaning at how uncomfortable she was.

"Yes and this baby better make sure it's in the right position otherwise I will literally give myself a caesarean" Carla moans wrapping her arms around Peter's neck nuzzling into his neck, a welcome distraction for how uncomfortable she was.

"Maybe it loves being in there so much you may give birth after your due date" Peter jokes only for Carla to death glare at him, he immediately puts his hands up in the air as there was a knock at the door which Peter goes to open.

"Hi Si" Peter grins as Carla groans dipping her head into her hands not really wanting to socialise any more.

"I won't bother asking how Carla is, I think that's pretty obvious"

"Si" Carla whines pouting her lip realising how moody she was being.

"What?" he sighs knowing that he'll either be asked to get her food from the corner shop or rub her feet, which he never does even when she asks.

"Can you tell your brother or sister to get out of me, they might listen to you?" Carla grins as Simon hands his dad a birthday present rolling his eyes as they both share a look

"Dad imagine if she went past her due date, you'd wanna move out" Simon smirks obviously having the same thoughts as Peter as Peter tries to silence him trying not to set off one of Carla's moods or hormonal tantrums off

"What is it with you two, do you talk off brainwaves or something, weird people" she smirks going into the bedroom to change into something to go to Sarah's appointment in as well as collecting Peter's present she got Kate to get from the shop.

"Here" Carla grins giving Peter his present as he rolls his eyes wondering what it was.

"Oh ok, wow, did you go out to get this?" Peter questions holding up the watch Carla bought him, knowing that she probably didn't want to go out.

"No I got Kate to get it, didn't really feel like waddling around to be honest" she shrugs as he laughs at the fact she actually used the word 'waddling' when pregnant.

"It's lovely, thank you" he smiles giving her a kiss on the lips "We need to head off in a minute Si, you staying here or going back to you mums?"

"Can I come with you, I don't really fancy sitting around doing nothing all morning" he sighs, even going to the hospital seemed more fun than being on his own

"It's up to Carla" Peter shrugs leaving the ball in her court

"If you want I mean, I'll probably moan, groan and cry all in one but if my discomfort pleases you then you can come" she suggests as he slides his coat on.

* * *

All three of them headed to Carla's hospital appointment, Simon agreed to wait in the waiting room on his phone as Peter thought it would stress Carla out more if he was in there with both of them plus Sarah and Scott who was there monitoring the situation. Carla started to feel really anxious when waiting to be called in, she had her stress ball in her hands squeezing it trying to distract herself from what she was feeling so Peter immediately knew this appointment could go badly very quickly, he also had to make sure he got Simon home as well which added pressure in case things went really bad with Carla.

"Carla?" Sarah smiles stepping out of the room to beckon her in.

"Hi" Carla replies quietly trying to urge her body to trust Sarah, as she was lead into a smaller room, Peter by her side which helped.

"Hi Carla, Peter" Scott smiles, his notepad on his lap ready to take notes in case things have changed.

"Right shall we have a look to see what's going on in here then?" Sarah questions gently as Carla shakes her head not wanting Sarah to come anywhere near her, watching her put the surgical gloves on.

"Hey darlin, let Sarah have a look, I know you want to be at home but let Sarah have a look" Peter tries to persuade her and she just clings onto him not wanting to give any one eye contact

"Peter, get her away, I don't want her to touch me" Carla replies tearfully clinging onto his neck as Sarah tries to reassure her that she wouldn't hurt her.

"Carla, what's Sarah going to do to you?" Scott asks to see if Carla's mind was thinking about ulterior motives of what Sarah could do to her.

"Carla all I want to do is see if baby's in the correct position for birth, and to see if it's the right size" Sarah promises as Carla looks bewildered before finally realising that Sarah wasn't going to hurt her.

"Ok" she narrows her eyes and sits on the bed, Peter puts an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Right, this might be a little uncomfortable" Sarah smiles genuinely pushing Carla's stomach around to feel the position where the baby is as it tries to wiggle away from Sarah's movements

"Ow"

"I felt that, was that in the ribs?"

"Unfortunately, it's so painful sometimes" Carla sighs tilting her head back to rest on Peter's arm not really enjoying this experience

"Well I would say baby's head down so it might be sooner rather than later, but it could do with moving a little more, have you had any contractions at all?" Sarah questions updating her notes.

"Not really unless you count really bad back ache" Carla shrugs feeling a lot calmer than before as well as remembering the horrid backache she had in the last few days, where she would have lived in a warm bath all the time.

"That could be because the baby's trying to get in the position for birth, just remember to take warm baths and hot water bottles, also would you like a birthing pool?" Sarah replies writing notes on her computer.

"Yeah I was going to ask about that actually or could we use the bath or is it too small?" Carla questions having seen examples of homebirths as well as heard about them from Michelle.

"It's probably easier with the pool as it gives you more freedom to move around, if you're uncomfortable" Sarah explains peeling herself away from her notes to face Carla, showing her a trusting smile.

"Then we'll have the pool, can we pick it up now?" Carla questions wanting to have everything sorted in case she was to go into labour, giving her peace of mind.

"Sure, I'll go pick it up" Sarah replies leaving the room temporarily to go and collect the inflatable pool before returning to the room

"I will make sure that it's blown up well in advance" Peter grins giving Carla a pat on the head and she scrunches her face up

"That's me done anyway, remember when your contractions are around 5 minutes apart ring labour and delivery, you never know I might be on shift" Sarah smiles putting the information into the folder for them both to take

"Thank you Sarah" Carla smiles gratefully

"No problem, you must come in with a picture to show me, I can't wait to see this little one" she smiles giving Carla a hug both of them somewhat emotional about the situation

"Right, let's collect Si and head home and hopefully the next time you'll see us is with a baby" Peter smiles putting his arm around Carla's waist

* * *

They all headed home to relax for the rest of the day, no doubt Carla would phone Michelle again and leave a message. Carla wanted to order a take away as she couldn't be bothered to walk to go into town to have a meal as her feet were killing her as well as her back, she felt bad that she couldn't give Peter the birthday he deserved especially after he had looked after her for the last year or so, she was definitely going to reward him after the baby was born for all of his hard work, she couldn't wait to go on family holidays abroad, have huge birthday celebrations and watch her child meet all the milestones she wished her mum cared about when she was younger which made her more determined to do this with her child.

"Ok I have one more gift for you, I want you to close your eyes" Carla grins "Actually I'll use my scarf because I don't trust you" she says grabbing her scarf from the coat pegs and wrapping it around Peter's eyes, waving her hands in front of them ensuring he couldn't see

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes" she rolls her eyes placing a box in his hands, taking the blindfold away "Open it"

"You do realise I'm bad with technology?" he questions looking at the camera box not knowing why she would buy this for him

"It's a polaroid camera, you know the one that prints the photos immediately after you take them" she replies as if he was dumb, making sure his technophobe traits would understand

"Oh right, what for?" he questions still not sure what to use it for

"For the birth, I thought instead of filming it, like some of those crazy people do, we could take pictures using this that way it's kind of like real-time" she explains taking a seat next to him on the sofa, resting her head on his shoulder

"I think that's a good idea, hey we can show people can't we when the baby first arrives" he suggests and she scrunches her nose up at it thinking about what Peter would take photos of

"Keep it PG though, I don't want to flash my bits to Roy or Johnny, second thoughts I'm wearing a bikini top in that pool" Carla grimaces giving Peter a whack around the head knowing what he could be like

"You're going to be fabulous you know, we should test that pool to see if it has any leaks" Peter suggests looking at the box which was in the corner of the room intrigued to see how big it was

"I guess it'll give us something to do wouldn't it" she grins going over to the box and opening it taking the pool out

"That's huge, we might need to move the coffee table" Peter suggests as there was a knock at the door, he hurries to go and open it leaving Carla to unfold the pool

"Oh hi Si, I thought you were out this afternoon with your mates?" Peter questions gesturing for him to come in

"They cancelled cause it's raining, what the hell is that?" he questions taking a seat on the arm chair looking at the birthing pool

"We're having a pool party" Carla smirks as Peter rolls his eyes knowing that Carla was joking

"Really can I join?" he grins sarcastically knowing that they wouldn't be having a pool party

"No, it's her birthing pool, don't suppose you can help me move this?" Peter questions gesturing for Simon to take one end of the coffee table as he huffs clearly annoyed, wishing he could be out with his friends

"I can wait to meet my brother or sister" he grins excitedly, helping Carla spread the pool out

"Gosh this thing is huge isn't it?" she laughs getting the pump out of the box ready for Peter to blow it up

"Right here we go" Peter smiles putting the nozzle onto the pump, watching the pool inflate

"Ah it's shrunk a bit, it also comes with plastic sheeting as well" Carla grins a few minutes later, the pool fully inflated realising it wasn't as big as it looked spread out on the floor

"You are not going to want to get out of this when you're in it" Peter smiles bringing her in for a hug as she frowns at him

"I think I will, there will be blood, mucus like substances and bodily fluids mixed in that water" Carla grimaces at the thought of what would happen during labour internally petrified about what is going to come out of her body

"Do you mind, I'm trying to eat my bar of chocolate here, also why have you got a polaroid camera" Simon rolls his eyes glancing up from his phone shoving the rest of his chocolate into his mouth

"It's for the birth you donut, Carla wanted something realistic"

"There's nothing better than a polaroid camera to do that, I almost forgot" she grins walking to one of the cupboards and bringing out a cake which she got Kate to buy for her as Simon smirks

"Is this really necessary?" Peter questions unamused at all the attention he was getting as Carla and Simon share a shocked look

"It's tradition dad" Simon beams helping Carla plant as many candles on the cake as possible, doing it sarcastically in the process, then helping Carla light them with matches

"Happy birthday, baby"

"Happy birthday dad"

"Thank you"

"When do you reckon it's going to make an appearance?" Simon questions gesturing to the baby as Carla groans at the thought of it stretching her insides

"Well Sarah said it was in position so I guess it's just a waiting game really" she shrugs taking a slice of cake and eating it as well as giving both Peter and Simon a slice

"Cool, when do you reckon I'll be able to see it, you know I don't want to intrude" Simon asks excited to see his brother or sister and hold them for the first time and to see what they looked like

"It depends what time it happens I guess, how about we let you know when I things start happening?" Carla suggests finding it sweet how Simon wants to meet his brother or sister

"Cool" he replies casually

"Is that it just 'cool'?" Peter questions mocking Simons voice as Simon rolls his eyes

"What else do you want me to say, can I watch the birth? I don't want to see Carla's bodily fluids thanks" he grins sarcastically as Carla tries to suppress her laughter at how funny Si was being

"That told you" Carla smirks high fiving Simon

"Wow teaming up on me now are we?"

"Yep" both Carla and Simon say in sync as they grin at each other as Peter rolls his eyes

"Can I stay here tonight?" Simon asks as Peter glances to Carla

"You'll have to sleep on the sofa as the nursery is all made now, it's up to you" Carla shrugs leaving Simon to decide, not really bothered if he stays or goes back to Leanne's

"Alright then" he shrugs not really bothered if he sleeps on the sofa

"Peter" Carla whines holding her back and stretching, obviously achy and in pain from the baby moving around

"Is your back hurting?" Peter questions as he goes over to her and rubs it soothingly

"Thank you, I'm praying it comes early this is just too uncomfortable" Carla sighs dipping her head into her hands clearly annoyed with everything as it seemed like a chore

"I wish I could take all this pain away from you" Peter sighs bringing her in for a hug kissing her forehead to enforce the fact he will be there for her when she needs him as her phone goes off

"It's Johnny" Carla sighs unlocking her phone and going to the group chat "He wants a family meal"

"Oh right, you could always say that you'll go but if things happen with the baby then you'll cancel" he suggests and Carla nods typing out a message on her phone

"Well he's invited Michelle, that's if she'll turn up" Carla shrugs knowing that Michelle probably wouldn't turn up considering she was still ignoring everyone

"You never know what might happen" Peter smiles giving Carla a kiss on the lips

"I guess we'll just have to see won't we?"


	30. Chapter 30

**9th April 2020**

Today was Aiden's birthday, something which was highly remembered amongst the Connors, they usually remembered it by going to his grave and laying flowers in remembrance of him. Carla, Kate, Jenny and Johnny were going to the grave today, Peter was unsure how she would cope with it as the grave held really bad memories for her but if Kate was there he hoped that she would do fine. Peter wanted to make her meal if things got out of hand, a nice relaxing evening for them both in case memories came back to her.

"Right, Johnny's picking me up here to go to the graveyard" Carla smiles, dressed in all black wanting to be respectful as she waddled around the flat

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Peter smirks as Carla waddles over to him rolling her eyes

"Are you making fun of my waddling?" she questions incredulously giving him a whack with the tea towel which was on the counter as he then picks up his tea to mask his grin

"Nope, I just think you should be resting, that's all" Peter suggests as she hugs him wrapping her arms around his neck which was becoming a bit of a challenge with the baby in the way

"It's tradition, it probably won't be for long, it looks pretty chilly out there and I will be really careful" Carla smiles giving Peter a peck on the lips before leaving the flat to go with Johnny

"Hey" Carla smiles taking a seat in the car, which she struggles to do now

"Should you be out?" Kate laughs and Carla glares at her as Johnny rolls his eyes

"Kate, I am perfectly fine now please just go otherwise you will all have Peter on the war path" Carla huffs putting her seatbelt on as Johnny starts the car ready to drive to the graveyard

* * *

After an hour or so at the graveyard they all decided to head home after paying their respects to Aiden, Johnny prepared a speech, usually everyone would roll their eyes at the prospect but they didn't mind as it was rather heartfelt as Johnny recalled some of the memories they all had with Aiden, like opening the factory when Carla returned from Devon, Kate slid her hand into Carla's when Johnny said it in case it triggered off emotions. He also said that Aiden would have been a great dad and Uncle to both Susie and Carla's baby if he was still here which made Carla and Kate both rather emotional, soon after laying the bouquet of white lilies on the grave, going back to the car soon after to head home.

"Peter?" Carla calls as he appears from the bedroom obviously grabbing a nap, taking her coat off after a long emotional days, tears threatening to fall down her face

"Hey, don't cry, was it too difficult for you darlin?" Peter sighs bringing her into a hug kissing her hair as she sobs obviously grief-stricken from today's events as he rubs her back sympathetically

"Johnny said this lovely speech and it was just too much" Carla sighs as Peter leads her over to the sofa, leaning against the arm of it bringing her to lay in between his legs so he could play with her hair to comfort her

"In what way?" he asks gently in case Carla didn't want to open up about her emotions, running a hand through her hair

"It just put things into perspective, it's weird I can kind of piece things together from last year but my mind was so messed up" she replies obviously confused about the situation but not wanting to know the truth in case it made her feel worse

"I can tell you what happened if you want, if that would help, I'll be one hundred percent honest?"

"No, I don't want to relive it"

"Ok then that's fine, we don't have to I would never force you" Peter smiles kissing her head repetitively as she smiles at how lovely he was being about the delicate situation

"It keeps kicking me in the ribs" Carla groans pushing the top of her stomach as Peter takes her hands away knowing that it could make matters worse if the baby was to react to it and she would complain more

"What does it feel like?"

"If you were to punch me gently in the ribs then that's pretty much it, but inside my body"

"Why don't you let it listen to music, I read somewhere online that it can hear stuff at this stage" Peter suggests as Carla turns her head, frowning at him realising how stupid it sounded

"No way are we letting it listen to death metal or something just as hideous" Carla groans at the thought of her kid being obsessed with death metal

"So you don't want our child to be emo?" he questions trying to act cool as Carla gives him a playful poke rolling her eyes in the process

"If so it will take after you, not me" Carla retorts clearly unamused but Peter was happy she wasn't mulling over the events of the morning

"Hey! I have you know I'm not the one who likes the colour black!" Peter huffs clearly annoyed at Carla's assumptions as she grins up at him, her face falling almost instantly

"What?"

"I have one of those fake contraction thingys" Carla huffs standing up to lean on the kitchen counter to relieve it as Peter rubs her back for her

"Does it hurt?" Peter questions wanting to know what it was like as he could try and put himself in her shoes

"It doesn't hurt as such it just feels uncomfortable like everything is stiff down there" she complains and Peter smirks suggestively as Carla rolls her eyes

"Oh no, don't you get any ideas" Carla sighs knowing how that sounded, pointing at him

"I'm sorry it's just when you put it like that I can only hope" he grins as she whacks him going back to sit on the sofa

"I'm exhausted baby and it's near impossible now" she groans leaning her head against his shoulder wishing she could do things without being exhausted all the time

"I'm just joking with you" he replies tickling her ribs as she squirms

"Stop, it'll set the baby off" Carla whines pouting her lips as Peter stops running a hand through her hair knowing how much she hated when the baby moved a lot

"Do you ever think about the future?" Peter questions randomly as she turns to frown at him again why he was bringing this conversation up

"Hmm I don't know really, I mean I think our future is looking pretty bright, new baby, husband and wife, possibility of a stable home"

"I think the next couple of months are going to be the best you know, I can feel it"

"I hope so, I really do" she smiles as her phone goes off again which she rolls her eyes to hating being disturbed

"Oh it's Johnny, he says the for sale signs come off the bistro, 'Chelle must've sold it" Carla sighs now knowing that the possibility of her coming back for the baby's birth is very minimal

"Are you still worried that she might not be here?" Peter questions gently knowing that she could snap quickly as well as wanting to understand how she felt about the situation if Michelle didn't turn up

"Yeah I planned it all out in my head I wanted you and her there to help me through it now that's not going to happen and it scares me, you know" she sighs tearfully as Peter realises how much she needs Michelle, holding her slightly tighter

"I understand, maybe you'll be too wrapped up in it to deal with wanting Michelle there, you never know" Peter suggests and Carla nods slowly as tears trickle down her face

"Oh baby, there's nothing else is there?"

"What if the stress of having a baby is too much for me and I'll have to be sectioned again, what if I don't know what to do when it cries or what it needs, they say mothers know but what if I don't?" she panics as Peter kneels down in front of her taking her hands in his as he looks into her teary eyes

"Carla remember what Scott said, there's no point in thinking like that unless it happens, otherwise things might go downhill again and I don't want that for you ok, you will be fine because I'm here, you have Kate, Johnny, Jenny and Roy" Peter reassures her wiping her tears with his thumb making sure she knows how many people are there for her

"But 'Chelle's not" Carla cries as Peter brings her into a hug allowing her to let all of her emotions out as he rubs her back gently

"Ok do we need to do our routine?" Peter questions and Carla nods rapidly as he leads her into the bathroom, worry in the back of his mind at the fact Carla may be regressing again

"Let me run a bath sweetheart then we can cuddle for a bit, how does that sound?" he asks and she nods as tears still continue to fall down her face as she wipes them every now and then with the sleeves of her hoody

"Alright, which one do you want?" Peter questions taking out the shower caddy for her to choose from bubble bath, bath bombs or muscle soak

"Muscle soak as it will help my back" she states shakily gasping for breath every now and then as she struggles to control her breathing as Peter gets the bath ready for her

"Alright come here, calm down ok, I'm here I'm going nowhere ok" Peter sighs tearfully knowing he would have to try his best to find Michelle for Carla just to put her mind at ease

"It's moving, why can't it give me a break" she cries more as Peter holds her close hating the sound of her cries struggling to hold it together himself

"Ok let's get you in the bath, you need to relax" Peter replies firmly as she undresses herself sitting in the bath, letting the water envelope her body, instantly calming her

"You alright?" Peter questions gently finding her favourite shower gel, handing it to her so she can wash herself

"Peter, promise me something?"

"Anything darlin"

"If it comes down to it, save the baby over me" she replies seriously turning to face him, the fear of voicing her internal fears to him causing more tears to fall as Peter sighs, realising now she had probably keeping this bottled up for a while

"Where's all this come from?" Peter asks shocked she would even suggest that she wouldn't make it through labour but also happy that she was revealing her fears

"Please Peter, promise me" she begs biting her lip, tears falling down her face, as he contemplates the answer

"I promise, but it won't happen ok so you don't need to worry" Peter sighs massaging her shampoo into her hair as she relaxes

"Thank you" she smiles as he washes the shampoo out of her hair replacing it with the conditioner, then washing it out before she gets out the bath to put her pyjamas on, going to hug Peter

"Come on then, let's get you settled"


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you all for the reviews, I hope you enjoy this installment, I tried to make it humourous before things start to kick off again.**

* * *

**15th April 2020**

Today was Michelle's birthday and Carla knew that Michelle probably wouldn't be around to celebrate. Johnny wanted a family meal anyway so he decided it would either be a birthday meal for Michelle, that was if she shows up, or just a regular family get together as one was needed before the baby was born so both Carla and Peter were roped into going to this meal which they didn't really want to go to but if the possibility that Michelle would be there then Carla would rather be exhausted if she got to see Michelle. Peter insisted that she should be resting, he even got her a birthing ball ready for when the baby was ready to come, but he knew that if Michelle were to show up he didn't want to deny her the opportunity to see her best friend.

"Who's going to this meal then?" Peter questions having just had a shower, drying his hair with a towel as Carla drinks her tea leaning on the kitchen counter, probably trying to relieve any pain she could be in

"Johnny, Jenny, Kate, Maria, Ali and Ryan, no Alya this time so I don't worry I won't be throwing any punches" she grins sarcastically as Peter tuts clearly unamused

"Oh don't give me that! I am a very responsible pregnant woman" she retorts knowing exactly what Peter was thinking

"I said nothing" he holds his hands up in surrender

"I don't know if I want to go to be honest, I'm so tired, my feet are swollen and my back is killing me" Carla moans stretching her back out glancing down to her feet before realising that she couldn't see them rolling her eyes in the process, Peter smirking trying not to laugh

"If I'm being honest I think you should be resting but if you want to go because you think Michelle may turn up I will come with you and support you" Peter replies and she frowns, confused at what she should do when Peter's decision doesn't match hers

"Yeah I feel shattered and this thing is so heavy" she groans gesturing to the baby as Peter rubs her back for her, kissing the side of her hair making sure she feels confident enough for her to continue

"I'm sure it'll make an appearance sooner rather than later because I don't think I can deal with your moods for much longer" he retorts cheekily as she whacks him on the chest before pouting at him

"I'm joking baby" he grins and she smiles shaking her head in amusement

"So are we going to this meal or not?" Peter questions wanting her to make a decision so he knows what to do about his shift at streetcars

"Umm I'm a bit tired, I don't suppose you could inform Johnny on your way out?" Carla questions and Peter nods slowly biting his lip

"Oh no don't look at me like that, Johnny's not that scary, he's just…passionate?" Carla rephrases as Peter frowns confused at her choice of words

"Anyway, Kate's going to pop over with Maria for a girly catch up" Carla smiles shifting off the bar stool which was becoming a challenge, Peter helping her in the process making sure she doesn't fall

"Then why can't Kate tell him we're not going?"

"Because I think it would be more fun if you told Johnny"

"So you only want me to tell him for your own entertainment?" He questions incredulously not knowing if Carla was being serious or joking as her face was straight

"Yep I'm stuck indoors practically all day everyday waiting to pop this baby out and I need to be entertained"Carla retorts really wanting to keep up the façade that she was joking but failing miserably

"Oh I see how it is! You're joking!"

"I am indeed, now go out to work and Kate will be over to babysit me with Maria" Carla grins practically pushing him out of the door wanting to have girly time with Maria and Kate

"I see when I'm not wanted" he smiles giving her a kiss on the lips as there was a knock at the door which he opens as he plants another kiss on her lips

"Only us!" Maria exclaims holding up a bottle of wine

"Peter put her down!" Kate grins going to give Carla an affectionate kiss on the cheek as she rolls her eyes

"Alright I'm off have fun and make sure you keep this little one cooking nicely in there" Peter smiles patting her bump gently as he leaves the flat

"Right you have a rest and I will get the drinks with Maria" Kate grins as Carla rolls her eyes going to sit on the sofa not wanting to feel like an invalid

"Here you are" Kate grins taking a seat next to Carla handing her a steaming cup of tea which she gratefully accepts

"Ta"

"So how's my little niece or nephew doing?" Kate questions and Carla groans at the question mentally preparing to be negative

"I'm just so over it now, I just want this thing out of me" Carla groans clearly annoyed with the situation not wanting to be pregnant any longer

"Trust me Liam was a pain, always moving around, it's so annoying during contractions" Maria huffs clearly not wanting to relive the situation again

"How are you dealing with it all?" Maria questions interested to see how Carla was coping with the situation

"Oh I don't know I mean I have those fake contraction thingys all the time and the baby was in the right position for birth the last time Sarah checked so I guess it'll want to come when it's ready, I just hope it's soon because it really kills my back" Carla smiles taking a sip of her tea

"I'm sure it will happen sooner rather than later, how many weeks are you at the moment?" Maria asks, interested in the conversation

"Almost 36 so practically full term"

"Getting close, I can't wait" Kate grins trying to downplay her excitement

"Right enough about me, what about you and Ali?" Carla questions intrigued to have some outside contact after being stuck in the flat for most of the day

"We're alright, Liam love's him so that's a bonus, I was always worried about meeting someone you know"

"It must be weird though" Kate pipes up from sitting beside Carla as both of them frown at her

"In what way?" Maria grins not really knowing what Kate meant but deciding to find out more

"Wouldn't you be dating your son's, father's nephew?" Kate replies and Carla just smiles not really knowing where the conversation is going to go but kind of found the funny side of it

"Not really, I mean Liam doesn't really know his father, he never met him so I don't think he would find it weird as long as he's happy"

"Ali's probably much cooler than Liam would be" Carla grins and Maria laughs in agreement, she knew the subject would always be sensitive but they liked to talk about in a positive way rather than bringing up the affair

"Have to agree on that one, I could imagine Liam running around with his dad telling him off for not being trendy enough or cool enough" Maria smiles thinking about how Liam would react when seeing his son, as well as them both teasing each other knowing

"That's very true, anyway did you meet anyone whilst you were abroad Kate?" Carla questions knowing that she never really had the time to speak properly to Kate about her life abroad due to her feeling so low when she came back and everything with Peter

"Not really I was mainly clearing my head but I'm so glad I came back when I did because now I get to meet my niece or nephew and I can't wait to spoil them rotten"

"I'm sure they'll love their cool aunty Kate around" Carla smirks as Kate playfully whacks her on the arm knowing that Carla was only teasing her

"Hey Carla, free babysitting" Maria replies raising her eyebrows nodding as Carla grins

"That's true, I'll palm my kid off on you when me and Peter need some alone time" Carla grins as Maria laughs as Kate rolls her eyes clearly knowing what she let herself in for

"What time's this meal tonight?" Carla asks really wanting to go now because she has had an amazing day and felt really positive about everything but she knew that she should rest

"I think it's five because there was a choice between two tables, five and nine and I thought nine was too late so we went for five" Kate shrugs knowing she helped choose the time much to her advantage

"And what's the time now?"

"Three so we will need to head off in a minute, are you coming Carla?"

"I want to because Michelle might turn up and I want to be there when she does but I doubt Peter would let me go" she shrugs as Maria nods sympathetically knowing that she needed to prepare for the baby

"I guess we'll see you if you come if not then we'll speak soon?" Maria suggests and Carla nods in agreement as Peter comes through the door with a soppy grin on his face, a grin which said that he was up to something, as Carla narrows her eyes at him

"Carla close your eyes" Peter grins and she rolls her eyes clearly unamused at what Peter was suggesting knowing it would be some mediocre surprise

"I'm not closing my eyes Peter, I'm not in the mood for joking around" she huffs reluctantly not wanting to close her eyes

"Kate can you cover her eyes please with your scarf" Peter smiles as Kate nods confused going to cover Carla's eyes wrapping the scarf around them, waving her hands in front of them to see if she could see anything

"Peter, what's going on" she sighs clearly annoyed as Kate brings a hand to her mouth in surprise at what Carla's surprise was

"Trust me, you're going to love this" Kate grins looking at Peter who silently hushes her not wanting anyone to reveal anything

"Ok take a seat on the sofa" Kate smiles helping Carla sit on the sofa, oblivious to the eye rolls which were going on underneath the scarf

"Right who's sitting next to me" Carla huffs clearly annoyed at Peter's little game not wanting to have this scarf around her eyes for much longer

"Ok you can take the scarf off now" Peter grins as Carla swipes the scarf off her face before tears fill her eyes

"Chelle!" Carla shrieks hugging her friend tightly sobbing in pure happiness

"Hi, I'm sorry I didn't contact you, I just needed to get my head around a few things" Michelle smiles taking Carla's hand in hers as Carla tried to compose herself at the reunion

"I'm so glad you're back" Carla smiles tearfully as she hugs Michelle again, careful not to choke her but her excitement was unreal

"Look at how big you are now!" Michelle grins as Carla brings her hand to rest on her bump, the baby kicking it very hard which Michelle gasps at

"Wow, you have been cooking this little one up haven't you?" Michelle grins moving her hand over Carla's stomach

"Don't, I just want it out now" Carla replies rolling her eyes

"So then you liked your surprise?" Peter grins kneeling down in front of her

"You planned this?" she replies happy that Peter's surprise, if he did plan it, was worth it

"No not really, I had a call through to pick someone up from the airport so I went to do the run and it was Michelle, I thought I'd bring her back here for you" Peter grins as Carla tries her best to launch herself at Peter to give him a hug thankful that he bought Michelle straight here

"I hear it's my birthday meal at the bistro?" Michelle grins as Carla rolls her eyes knowing that the family liked to give every birthday a big celebration as if it was a milestone

"Hang on a minute, I thought you sold it, we saw the for sale sign on the door?" Carla questions confused about the whole bistro situation

"I was originally going to sell it because I don't want the memories associated with it, but then I thought who else would need it? So the immediate candidates I thought of were you and Peter, you will need a stable income when that baby arrives" Michelle grins as Carla's face falls, worry starting to set in that Michelle wasn't going to be staying around, as Michelle hands her the envelope in her bag, Carla tearing it open seeing that the deeds of the bistro were in her name

"So you're not staying around?"

"No, I'm only back for a few weeks then I'm off" Michelle says gently not knowing how Carla will take it, probably negatively

"But-"

"You'll be fine, I'll stay until the birth I just need some more time to get my head straight" Michelle sighs bringing Carla into a hug

"I need you though" Carla replies tearfully holding on to Michelle's hand as Michelle smiles at her

"You don't Carla, I wouldn't be able to help you right now, you're probably better off just having Peter and Kate right now" Michelle replies firmly knowing that it wouldn't be what Carla wanted to hear

"Please stay for longer, why won't you stay?" Carla panics thinking that she had done something wrong, her paranoia playing tricks with her mind

"It's not you darlin', it's not so get that out of your head right now" Michelle smiles kissing her forehead, knowing that Carla was thinking that it was all her fault

"Please"

"I can't"

"Why?"

"I have reason's alright, big reasons which I can't tell you right now" Michelle replies firmly not wanting to reveal to Carla what was going on

"You always tell me to be honest, why won't you be honest with me?" Carla huffs clearly annoyed at Michelle's stubbornness and the hypocrisy of the situation

"I know but I really can't ok?"

"Fine, if I can't have you for longer I will just have to make do" Carla replies folding her arms clearly upset with the situation

"Anyway are you coming to this birthday meal of mine?" Michelle questions looking between her and Peter who just decided to stay out of it

"I'm a bit tired to be honest"

"Alright then, you have a rest and we'll catch up tomorrow, I'll come round and you can show me the completed nursery?" Michelle grins giving Carla a kiss on the forehead

"Alright, we'll speak tomorrow"

"So then, you happy that Michelle's back?" Peter questions bringing her in for a hug, kissing her forehead in the process as she smiles at the affection she received

"Yeah I think I'll be alright now, I just don't understand why she can't stay for longer"

"I'm sure she will tell you eventually, maybe she didn't want to worry with the baby an' all that?" Peter suggests as Carla nods slowly

"I just hope that she isn't in trouble that's all"

* * *

**P.S. the drunken wanderer returns ;)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Getting near the end so I hope you dont mind sticking it out for another couple of chapters, I felt this one was rather poor but I'm trying to end it at a number I'm happy with, either way I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**5th May 2020**

At this point in her pregnancy, Carla was very fed up to say the least, she wanted this baby out, she was irritable, moody and angry with her body for not pushing this baby out, she was fed up with being pregnant and she was fed up with life in general. All she wanted to do was meet her baby and the world was definitely against that, she was having inconsistent contractions, which just annoyed her even more as it was like her body was ready but the baby wasn't, that's how she put it to Peter anyway. On the other hand, Peter was facing her moods head on not really wanting to aggravate Carla in anyway, he tried to support her in any way he could even if it meant arguing with her or letting her use him as her personal punch bag.

"Get it out of me" she huffs appearing from the bedroom, waddling over to Peter to moan at him about how uncomfortable she was as he rolls his eyes

"Lovely to see you this morning" Peter grins sarcastically trying to make light of the situation which Carla glares at him unamused

"Can we try some things to get this thing out?" Carla huffs grabbing the laptop off the kitchen counter, trying her best to sit on a bar stool but fails miserably, going to sit on the sofa instead

"We could go for a walk, that's meant to help isn't it?" Peter questions as Carla glares at him again, he now knows not to say anything at all as she seemed very angry today

"Right we're having curry for dinner tonight, the spiciest one on the menu" Carla sighs writing on a post-it note to put on the fridge to remind Peter to make her curry this evening

"Have you had any contractions at all?" Peter questions, taking a sip of the orange juice he prepared as she rummages through the cupboards to find food

"I actually had a somewhat painful one this morning, well I say painful, it was more painful than previous so that's a start"

"I think you should bounce on that birthing ball, that's meant to help isn't it?" Peter questions and she nods biting her lip somewhat reluctant to do it

"I'm just scared I'll fall over, doesn't look very secure" she glances over at it thinking that she would look stupid bouncing on the top of it

"I'll hold your hand if you want, anything to get this baby out of you, I don't know how long I can put up with you whinging" Peter huffs leading her over to the ball helping her sit down on it, holding her hands as she slowly bounces on it

"Don't you dare let go" Carla replies sternly as Peter rolls his eyes as the buzzer goes off, he helps Carla up to the ground before going to answer it

"It's 'Chelle" Peter smiles as Carla nods slowly leaning on the wall trying to relieve a contraction

"Hi Peter" Michelle grins taking her coat off to hang it on the back of the door before glancing over to Carla who was leaning against the wall

"Hi 'Chelle" Carla smiles, still leaning on the wall

"Things still not happening then?" Michelle smirks as Carla glares at her which she was taken aback by, her mood obviously very touchy today

"I'm having very irregular contractions, sometimes every 20 minutes then sometimes and hour apart, then sometimes none for three hours, it's just annoying" Carla huffs going to sit on the sofa with Michelle leaning her head against Michelle's shoulder

"I'm sure things will pick up in time, why don't you go for a walk?" Michelle suggests as Carla rolls her eyes not wanting to go outside

"That's what I said!" Peter exclaims bringing a cup of coffee over to Michelle which she accepts gratefully

"Hmm I guess we could go for a walk" Carla contemplates not really wanting to go out of the flat in case things start happening

* * *

They all decided to go for a walk around the red rec, doing around 5 laps before deciding to call it a day, Carla didn't have any contractions after that but she just assumed that they might kick in later as she was fed up with walking, she still had other ideas to try and induce labour such as eating curry and drinking raspberry leaf tea which was recommended on the wiki page she looked at online. Michelle was heading out with Ali and Ryan this evening so she suggested that if anything were to happen Peter would ring her immediately so she could be there to support Carla.

"I give up, can I have a caesarean?" Carla questions entering the flat after the long walk just irritated her

"I don't think it works like that sweetheart" Peter grins going to make her a cup of raspberry leaf tea which was meant to help prepare her for labour

"I doubt these herbal remedies will work, but I know what will" she smirks as Peter rolls his eyes knowing that sex was eventually going to come into it

"That is a very last resort, I want you to try and drink a mug of this and eat some curry before we start going down that route" Peter sighs knowing what she was referring to, not wanting to deny her but he didn't want to deny her

"Oh please Peter, show me some love" she pouts doing her best impression of puppy dog eyes

"I would but it's literally impossible" Peter sighs as Carla dips her head into her hands groaning in the process as Peter walks over to her, planting a kiss on her head

"You alright?" Peter questions going over to rub her back

"Contraction" she replies quietly, closing her eyes trying to deal with the uncomfortable feeling

"Does it hurt?" Peter questions still rubbing her back hoping he was helping with the situation

"A bit but not as painful as the one this morning" she sighs taking another sip of her tea as it dulls

"Maybe we should start timing them to see if there's a pattern?" Peter suggests and she nods slowly going to pick up her phone ready to time the next one

"I doubt it, they're just not being regular, they hurt sometimes but I don't know" she mumbles taking the packet of digestive biscuits out of the cupboard

"Hopefully that walk will do you the world of good then maybe this baby will start exiting your…area?" Peter grins and Carla whacks him with the packet of digestives before smirking

"Please just get out of me!" Carla groans poking her bump getting increasingly annoyed with being pregnant while shoving biscuits down her throat

"Darlin' it'll come when it wants to come, you can't force it out" Peter sighs going over to give her a hug as she starts to cry

"Oh sweetheart" Peter replies bringing her into a hug stroking the back of her head

"I'm just fed up" she laughs slightly as Peter wipes her tears, smiling at her

"I know you are, is there anything I can do?" Peter offers knowing how delicate she was at the moment, as well as wanting to help her in anyway

"Hang on" she replies holding her hand up to his face, leaning on the breakfast bar as Peter rubs her back

"Alright, all done" she replies going to hug Peter again as he wraps his arms around her the best he could

"That one happened quicker, did it hurt?" Peter questions holding her hand

"A bit but not that much" she shrugs not really bothered by it as well as getting used to the contractions happening when she least expected them

"Do you want me to run you a bath?"

"If you wouldn't mind, my back is still killing me" she stifles a laugh as Peter leads her into the bathroom to run her a bath

"Look at how big I am now, remember when I freaked out when I first saw my bump" she laughs fondly at the memory realising how stupid it was at the time

"I do" he smiles "I also remember the time Si was crunching that popcorn which made you be sick almost 10 times" he grins and she rolls her eyes tilting her head to the side

"Trust me I am never doing this again, I don't care if it wants a sibling, it's not happening" she huffs not wanting to relive one of the hardest parts of her life

"Yeah right, you'll probably forget about all of the pain, they say that don't they, that women forget?" Peter questions and she nods unconvincingly raising an eyebrow not really understanding how she could forget the amount of pain that she would go through

"You're saying you want another one?" Carla replies, smiling at how genuine he was being not sure if she's really thought that hard ahead

"Maybe I don't know" he shrugs pouring some bath salts into the water as she struggles to undress herself he just smirks at trying not to laugh

"Can you help me?" she huffs clearly annoyed with the situation as Peter just laughs as she glares back at him

"Of course" he replies helping her get the jumper off over her head as she grins at him

"Thank you, baby" she grins stepping into the bath

"Do you want me to stay?" Peter questions in case she wanted some time to think about everything

"Yeah, I'll need help getting out" she laughs knowing that her bump would be in the way

"Alright" he grins sitting on the floor beside the bath "Not long now is it?"

"Thank god, imagine if pregnancy was a year, I think I'd rather just die" she retorts bluntly not amused with the situation as usual

"Hopefully things will pick up soon" Peter suggests and she hums in response hoping that they would

"They better otherwise you will have to deal with my moods for longer, and I think you might want to move out if I keep moaning"

"I will never leave you, not in a million years"

"Good because I need you"


	33. Chapter 33

**Here's the birth chapter, it's 7000 words somehow, I hope you enjoy, thank you all for the lovely reviews as well!**

* * *

**6th May 2020**

Peter was waking up to what seemed like a surreal night, Carla was unsettled for most of the night somewhat uncomfortable, she kept telling Peter that something would happen today and she could feel it in her bones or something equally as sentimental and cringey, it was unlike Carla to be coming out with weird sayings but Peter was still convinced that she was just taking things to heart a lot more than usual but didn't want to deny her of expressing her opinion. On the other hand, Carla was still getting contractions, they were more frequent but were no near enough to make her feel satisfied that she was making progress. Michelle was going to be spending the day with Carla to give Peter a rest from her moods as well as giving her tips on how to cope with labour which they were both looking forward to, Michelle suggested that Peter should go to work for the day to ensure he had a break as looking after a very emotional Carla was draining enough, and Michelle could see it on his face.

"Right we have some rules" Peter grins as Carla rolls her eyes, obviously in a mood about something to do with the pregnancy or Peter setting rules for her to follow

"I feel like I've been a naughty child" she huffs clearly annoyed which just added to her mood

"Ok so, you ring me or Streetcars if things start to happen ok and I will be back as soon as I can" Peter grins kissing her forehead handing her a cup of raspberry leaf tea which she rolls her eyes at reminding her how she drank keg loads of it the last two days

"Michelle will be here so I'll have her, so please just go out and do something, you must be bored stiff watching me all day waiting for something to happen, trust me I'm bored being me" she moans looking forward to having Michelle all to herself for the whole day

"Hi guys" Michelle smiles entering the flat with the spare set of keys which Carla didn't mind her using

"Do you mind? We could have been doing anything here" Peter huffs clearly annoyed that Michelle could interrupt any intimate moment with her spare keys

"As if, it's impossible to do anything which may be considered inappropriate for my eyes when you're literally about to drop so I'm taking advantage of using these keys" Michelle grins waving them in the air before placing them back in her bag as Carla nods in agreement to her statement, Peter glaring at them both

"Right, I shall be off, ring me if anything happens" he smiles giving her an affectionate kiss on the lips before leaving the flat

"What was that about?"

"We you know " Carla grins like a lovesick puppy as Michelle grimaces wondering how she did it, but those questions could be asked later

"Thanks for that, doing anything I see to get that baby out-"

"It was really hard to do, my muscles ache" she winges as Michelle almost spits out her freshly made coffee in amusement

"Can we keep it PG?"

"Sorry" Carla blushes trying to hide it with her coffee cup as Michelle shakes her head in amusement

"So then, anymore contractions?" Michelle questions as Carla tries to shuffle off the bar stool

"Can you help me off?"

"Oh dear we are in a pickle aren't we?" Michelle grins as Carla glares at her not finding this situation amusing as Michelle helps her off the bar stool, smirking

"Ta" she grins going to get her phone from the coffee table "I've been tracking them, they're all recorded on there"

"Oh I see, not very regular are they, some are but you want them a bit more regular than that" Michelle smiles scrolling through all the recordings of every contraction Carla had since she started recording them

"I've got one now" she sighs placing her glass of water on the counter leaning on it as Michelle rubs her back also setting off the timer for her

"Are they hurting-"

"Shh"

"Sorry"

"Ok that one was painful" Carla sighs as Michelle smiles at her realising how strong she was being as Carla gulps down the rest of her water

"Oh darlin' you're doing so well, maybe doing some laps of the stairs might help" Michelle suggests as Carla nods slipping her shoes on to go to the stairs knowing that if she wanted the baby out she'll may as well walk the baby out of her womb

"I'll wait here until you're ready to call it a day" Michelle smiles at the top of the landing as Carla huffs clearly annoyed still

"Oh hi Michelle" Leanne questions confused why she was just standing at the top of the landing, Simon behind her rolling his eyes, typical teenage persona

"Hi, look I never thanked you at new year-"

"Don't worry about it, I just wanted to help" Leanne smiles as Carla appears from the stairs clearly annoyed rolling her eyes flashing Simon a smile before walking down the stairs again

"This is just getting annoying now" Carla huffs, calling up to Michelle from the bottom of the stairs as Michelle laughs

"Keep walking, walk that baby out of the womb" Michelle suggests as Leanne sniggers in the background as Carla appears at the top again rolling her eyes

"Trust me, I am not doing this ever again" Carla groans going to walk down the stairs again this time bumping into Nick at the bottom

"Hello Carla?" Nick questions confused, walking up the stairs with Carla who then walks back down them again which just left him more confused, she just rolls her eyes not really wanting to engage in the conversation

"Is she doing some sort of crazy exercise ritual?" Nick laughs as Michelle and Leanne share a look in mutual understanding to the situation

"No she wants the baby out, so I suggested she does laps of the stairs" Michelle smiles as Nick nods slowly not really understanding why

"Well I hope she has fun…" Nick trails off entering his and Leanne's flat planting a kiss on his partners cheek

"Men, they don't get it do they?" Leanne shakes her head as Michelle laughs in agreement

"Anyway I need to pick Oliver up, so I'll see you around" Leanne smiles as Michelle smiles back in understanding

"Michelle!"

"What now?" she sighs walking halfway down the stairs to find Carla leaning on the railing, probably trying to relieve a contraction

"Contraction" she moans as Michelle rubs her back for her as Carla gives Michelle her phone to record it

"I've had enough now" Carla sighs walking back up the stairs with Michelle going into the flat obviously walking up and down the stairs made her bored out of her mind

"The last four were somewhat regular, 20 minutes apart" Michelle states and Carla smiles starting to think something might actually happen today

"Good, they better stay that way otherwise there will be hell to pay" Carla groans as there was a knock at the door which Carla groans at

"Hi, love" Johnny smiles entering the flat

"Yay more entertainment for me" Carla grins taking a seat on the birthing ball carefully, ensuring that she didn't fall over

"How are you?" Johnny questions taking a seat on the sofa as Carla groans in response again, Michelle laughing from the armchair

"Pregnant, not wanting to be any longer" Carla moans as Johnny and Michelle laugh at her bluntness, Carla throwing an eye roll in for good measure

"I wish I didn't ask now.. Anyway I wanted to speak to you about something…" Johnny starts as Carla frowns not really wondering what he would want to speak to her about

"Go on…"

"I was wondering if you and Peter would like to come to the Rover's tonight for a catch up?" Johnny asks, considering he was asking everyone

"To be honest Johnny, hang on a minute" she replies leaning against the wall as Michelle records the contraction on Carla's phone

"You alright?" Johnny questions going over to her

"Shut up"

"Sorry" he grins at Michelle who was rubbing Carla's back as they both try to suppress laughter

"Alright, sorry about that I don't think I will be joining you, I don't really want to be having contractions when I'm out and about" she smiles slightly going to sit back down on the birthing ball, bouncing up and down on it

"Wait, so the baby's coming?" Johnny questions not really understanding the whole concept of the situation as Carla rolls her eyes

"Well who knows to be honest, it's been on and off for a couple of days now so could just be tricking me into thinking it wants to come out" Carla retorts tapping her bump obviously annoyed about the inconsistency of her labour so far

"This is so exciting" he grins taking his phone out to notify the group chat

"What are you doing?" Carla sighs knowing he was probably notifying the group chat but trying not to lose her temper in the process

"Notifying the group chat…this is exciting, some good news for once" Johnny beams clearly excited at the whole situation as well as having a grandchild

"Great" Carla mutters, swiping her phone off Michelle as Michelle giggles

"Maria's surprised…So is Kate who's now going to pop around after her shift, thanks for that Johnny" Carla huffs clearly annoyed wanting to try and relax without people interfering

"You're welcome, I better head off anyway, let me know when I can meet my grandchild" Johnny grins as Carla rolls her eyes, Michelle shows Johnny out

"Great that's all I needed, now everyone's going to be really excited and if it doesn't come…" Carla trails off not wanting to disappoint people

"They won't be disappointed in you if that's what you're thinking, so get that right out of your head" Michelle sighs going to kneel down in front of her bringing her into a hug

"I never asked you where you went all that time you had away" Carla replies pulling away from Michelle, narrowing her eyes not wanting to talk about herself anymore

"I went over to Ireland to stay with my mum and dad for a bit then went abroad for a couple of weeks" Michelle replies watching Carla tilt her head to the side closing her eyes

"You alright?"

"The baby's moving around, now I have a contraction again, god that makes it more painful when it moves around" Carla groans bouncing on the ball to help relieve it as Michelle stands up to kiss her forehead

"You're doing so well" Michelle smiles getting her a glass of water

"What's the time?"

"Almost two, what time does Peter finish?" Michelle smiles as Carla carries on bouncing on the ball

"Bored of me already?" Carla smirks as Michelle rolls her eyes not wanting to aggravate Carla any more than needed

"No I just think that he should be here right now because these contractions are getting a bit more regular" she replies as Carla nods in agreement

"He finishes at 5 he swapped his night shift with Steve so he could be here" Carla smiles and Michelle nods checking her phone to see if she had any messages as there was a knock at the door

"Oh Hi Kate, who let you in?" Michelle questions

"I know the code, don't I?" Kate replies as Michelle grins knowing that Carla would probably get annoyed with her knowing that

"Hi Kate" Carla smiles flicking through the channels on the TV

"I hear you're in labour?" Kate questions as Carla rolls her eyes wishing it was active labour and happening sooner rather than later

"I wouldn't really call it active labour, but I'm having contractions which are somewhat regular now according to 'Chelle" Carla smiles closing her eyes, standing up to change position, leaning against the wall, as another contraction kicks in "Michelle phone"

"On it" Michelle smiles setting off the timer folding up some of the laundry which Carla hadn't bothered to do

"Ow" Carla replies scrunching her face up in discomfort

"You alright, sweetheart?" Michelle questions going over to her to rub her back as Carla hums in response

"Alright all done" Carla smiles slightly going to sit back down on the ball again, bouncing up and down on it

"Did that one hurt?" Michelle questions running a hand through Carla's hair to comfort her

"Yeah the baby was moving around quite a bit which made it worse apart from that it didn't really hurt" Carla replies continuing to bounce up and down on the ball, Michelle going to the kitchen to grab her another glass of water to make sure she stays hydrated

"What does it feel like?" Kate questions intrigued by what Carla was going through

"Like someone is squeezing my insides" Carla groans taking a biscuit off the plate on the coffee table trying to get her energy up

"This is so exciting" Kate grins giddily as Carla rolls her eyes unamused

"For you, I have to go through the pain of pushing this thing out of my area" Carla retorts as Michelle chuckles from the kitchen where she was pottering around organising everything knowing that Carla would most likely give birth very soon, she didn't want to say anything in case it panicked her

"How far apart are they now?" Carla questions

"Some are ten minutes some are twenty still" Michelle smiles giving her the phone

"Mm they're not lasting that long are they?" Carla sighs scrolling through the list of her contractions before putting the phone on the coffee table

"No but at least they're coming a bit more frequent, when do you need to ring labour and delivery?" Michelle questions

"It's in the folder" Carla points to the cabinet by the front door

"It says when your water's break, if not when they're five minutes apart" Michelle reads the leaflet Carla rolls her eyes glancing to the clock on the wall

"Hopefully one of those will happen sooner rather than later…" Carla rails off closing her eyes again, still eating her biscuit

"Is that another one starting?" Michelle questions and Carla nods slowly bouncing on the ball still as Michelle unlocks Carla's phone giving it to Kate to help with recording her contraction

"Yep"

"Breath through it" Michelle replies giving her back a rub as Kate goes into the kitchen to make a cup of tea for herself

"Ok this one hurts" she grimaces leaning her head on Michelle's shoulder bouncing on the ball

"Alright, I think we should ring Peter now" Michelle replies kissing her head as Carla nods in agreement finally deciding she needed Peter here

"I'll do it" Kate smiles grabbing her phone and ringing Peter but gets no answer

"He's probably driving" Carla suggests "Ring streetcars"

"Alright" Kate replies finding the number for streetcars before getting through to Steve going out of earshot to speak to him

"Look, Michelle" Carla replies pointing to her bump as the baby moves her skin as Michelle laughs

"Wants out doesn't it?"

"Sooner rather than later preferably" Carla groans having another biscuit something to distract her from her thoughts

"Right Peter's just on an airport run so he should be back within the next hour" Kate replies and Carla nods slowly taking in the information

"Alright" Carla shrugs not really having an opinion on the matter as she gets her phone from the coffee table glancing through it

"Oh Ryan, Ali and Maria are popping over, don't know why, I guess we can thank Johnny for that one can't we?" Carla grins sarcastically mentally cursing Johnny as there was a buzz from the buzzer

"Yep come up" Michelle smiles letting Ali, Maria and Ryan up

"I'm not stopping long, I just wanted to give you this" Ryan grins putting a little gift basket on the counter

"Thanks darlin'" Carla grins from the birthing ball as Ryan laughs at her thinking how stupid it was

"Yeah we were on our way out as well we just wanted to give you this so we thought we would all come together" Maria smiles placing another gift basket on the counter

"Thanks Maria, tell Liam I said hi, and tell him he can meet his cousin" Carla grins as Maria nods in agreement as they all leave the flat, Carla closing her eyes again after offering Maria another olive branch

"Another one?" Michelle asks as Carla nods, picking up her phone to record the contraction

"Hi, love I got here as quick as I could" Peter grins entering the flat, Carla immediately holding her hand up to silence him bouncing on the ball

"Breath Car" Michelle smiles trying to suppress laughter at Carla silencing Peter, holding her hand as her eyes flutter open, a small smile on her face after the contraction stops

"They're starting to get quite uncomfortable now" Carla groans standing up to hug Peter as she snuggles into him as well as greeting him

"Let's have a look at your phone then" Peter suggests as Carla hands it to him as he scrolls through the list of contractions

"I've been recording them, they're starting to get quite regular" Michelle explains as Peter nods in agreement still looking at the time between each one as it got less further on down the list

"So then what have you done today then?" Peter asks giving Carla an affectionate kiss on the forehead

"We did some walking up and down the stairs, bumped into Leanne and Nick on the landing and had coffee and cakes, a little picnic, you know the usual" Carla retorts clearly unamused with what her body was putting her through as Peter rolls his eyes knowing that she has a tendency to be sarcastic when in pain or annoyed

"Sorry, I feel so tired" Carla moans snuggling up to Peter on the sofa

"Why don't you try and get some sleep you need to get your energy up" Peter smiles as Carla yawns nodding in agreement

"Maybe you should blow that pool up, I have a feeling we might be needing it soon" Michelle pipes up and Peter manoeuvres Carla so that she can lie on the sofa as Kate sits on the floor beside her stroking her hair

"I also got this heater thing so if the water goes cold we can heat it up without needing to empty the water out a bit" Peter says and Michelle agrees thinking how smart he was with the idea, helping him roll out the pool, moving the coffee table

"Ugh, seriously" Carla moans as she sits up as another contraction kicks in, going to sit on the birthing ball as it helped relieve it a bit, Peter going over to her, kneeling down in front of her taking her hand as Kate helps Michelle with the pool

"Breath through it, just think we'll be meeting our baby soon ok?" Peter smiles giving her a kiss on the lips, something she was longing for all day, giving her the strength she needed

"Don't speak" she whispers scrunching her face up as Peter smiles at her admiring her strength

"Ow" Carla replies, tears filling her eyes

"I know it hurts sweetheart, I know" Peter smiles bringing her into a hug stroking her head as she huffs in pain

"We promised we'd let Simon know when thing's started to happen" Carla bites her lip as Peter gets his phone out to message him

"Alright, I'll send him a message, he'll probably ignore me, then I'm going to give Sarah a ring I think" Peter smiles as Michelle comes back over leaving Kate to blow up the pool, allowing Peter to ring Sarah as well as labour and delivery

"I can't believe this is happening" Carla replies biting her lip giving Michelle a hug as she watches the pool inflate

"Neither can I, you've waited so long to see your baby and now it's finally happening, so have I and so has Kate" Michelle replies as Carla smiles up at her from the birthing ball, bouncing on it rhythmically

"It's almost 6" Carla states randomly looking at the clock as Michelle strokes her hair, Peter appearing from the bedroom

"I have a surprise for you" Peter grins as Carla narrows her eyes wondering what it could be

"What?" she smiles

"Sarah's doing the night shift tonight…she's also bringing one of her colleagues as well so she's going to head over now so she can introduce you to her before things really start happening" Peter smiles as Carla gives him a hug before going to sit back down on the birthing ball closing her eyes

"Peter, Michelle phone" Carla says, they now take this as a sign that there was another contraction on its way as Carla breaths through it in obvious pain

"You're doing so well, I'm so proud of you" Peter smiles as Carla leans her head on his shoulder as Peter rubs her back before she pulls away to kiss him

"I'm glad" she retorts sarcastically unamused with the situation as the buzzer goes off which Michelle goes to answer

"Hi Carla" Sarah smiles bringing her medical supplies with her placing the bag on the sofa

"Hi" Carla smiles slightly looking up from Peter's shoulder before dipping her head back down bouncing on the ball again

"This is Katie" Sarah smiles gesturing to Katie hoping that Carla would learn to trust her

"Hi Carla, and Peter is it?" Katie questions offering a genuine smile

"Yeah, nice to meet you" Peter smiles gratefully

"So then who is everyone?" Katie questions to Carla noticing there was a lot of people in the room as well as trying to build trust with Carla knowing that her mental health could be quite hit and miss

"So, that's Michelle, who Sarah already knows, and this is my sister Kate" Carla smiles pointing to Michelle then Kate as they both greet Katie

"Nice to meet you all, so how far apart have your contractions been?" Katie questions wanting to understand how her labour had been

"Peter has the phone" she replies closing her eyes as another one kicks in, Michelle coming over to her holding her hands as Carla squeezes them trying to get through the contraction

"They're quite regular around 10 minutes now aren't they, some odd ones out around 5" Katie replies scrolling through the phone Sarah behind her, preparing the doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat

"All done?" Michelle questions looking at Carla who nods as Michelle kisses her on the forehead as Carla smiles slightly

"Hi Carla, can I have a listen to your baby?" Sarah asks as Carla seems hesitant to let her near frowning in the process

"Ok" Carla smiles after deciding that Sarah could be trusted going to lie on the sofa as Sarah moves the doppler around picking up the baby's heartbeat

"Nice and regular, which is a good thing" Sarah grins wiping Carla's stomach for her "Is it ok if I check you, you don't have to but I kind of want to gage how far along you are?"

"Ok" Carla replies unsure of the situation raising an eyebrow

"Let's prop you up against Peter on the floor" Katie smiles helping her down onto the floor

"Right this might hurt a bit ok"

"Squeeze my hand Carla" Peter says gently as she grasps onto his hand, taking deep breaths every now and then

"I'd say you're a three almost a four, so you're almost in active labour" Sarah replies disposing of her surgical gloves in her bag

"You did so well sweetheart"

"Did you shove your whole hand up there or summat?" Carla retorts unhappy about what just happened as Sarah laughs as Peter rolls his eyes

"No, don't worry"

"Do any of you want a drink?" Kate offers knowing that they will probably be waiting around for a while

"I'll have a coffee if there's one going" Katie grins as Kate goes into the kitchen

"Peter" Carla sighs getting up to lean against the wall trying to relieve another contraction

"I'm here, don't worry" he reassures her rubbing the bottom of her back as she groans slightly feeling really uncomfortable about the situation

"Could I have some water?" Carla questions as Michelle grabs her a bottle from the cupboard to fill it up handing it to her

"Ta"

"I need to take my medication" Carla states looking at Peter knowing that she hadn't had a substantial amount of food as well as knowing it would make her tired which wouldn't be helpful in this situation

"I don't know if that's a good idea, it might lower your energy levels, do you feel like you need it?" Peter questions and she nods slowly biting her lip, wanting to be on the safe side

"Sarah?"

"Yeah?" she replies looking up from her papers

"Should I give Carla her medication, it might lower her energy levels" Peter questions as Sarah reads through Carla's notes which Scott had been updating her on

"She's on quite a high dosage at the moment isn't she?" Sarah replies glancing over Carla's notes as Michelle takes over looking after Carla

"Yeah, I just don't want her to freak out during labour otherwise she won't cooperate" Peter smiles as Sarah tries to find Scott's number

"Right I'm going to give Scott a ring to give him an update" Sarah replies not really knowing what to do about the situation so ringing Scott was the only option as there was a knock at the door

"Who the hell is that, if that's Johnny…" Carla starts, trying not to get worked up as Michelle brings her in for a hug as another contraction starts

"Hi dad" Simon grins "What's happening?" he starts not really knowing what to do about the situation

"Your brother or sister has decided that they want to make an appearance, did you not look at your phone?" Peter grins as Simon beams excited

"No sorry, it was on silent for college I'll leave you to it, I was just bored with my mum and Nick" he shrugs waving goodbye to his dad going to his mums flat

"Who was it?" Carla questions as Peter appears by her side

"Simon, he was bored so he thought he'd come over" Peter smiles giving Carla a kiss on the lips

"Mm bless him" she mumble into her water bottle, taking a large gulp

"Carla?" Sarah questions as she tilts her head up to look at Sarah

"Mm?"

"Scott said you can have your pre pregnancy dosage if you want it?" Sarah offers as Carla contemplates her answer deciding it would be safer to have some rather than nothing at all

"Alright" she replies as Peter gets her medication for her as she closes her eyes preparing for another contraction as Michelle holds her hand as Carla squeezes it looking up at Michelle tears filling her eyes

"Oh darlin' I know it hurts" Michelle sighs as Peter gets all her medications ready

"It's moving around which really doesn't help" Carla groans as Peter hands her some tablets to take

"Carla, could I check you again?" Sarah asks sliding some surgical gloves on as Carla shifts herself on to the floor after Kate decided to make her a makeshift bed on the floor, Peter putting her head on his lap as Sarah checks her

"Please stop" Carla cries as Peter strokes her hair hating seeing her in pain

"I'm almost done ok" Sarah smiles gently

"Well done, I'd say baby's at a five which is a lot of progress do you reckon you could walk around a bit, see if we can get this moving a bit?" Sarah states disposing of her surgical gloves

"Yeah I guess" Carla shrugs her shoulders as Peter helps her walk around the flat for a bit "What's the time?"

"Almost 9 sweetheart, you're doing so well" Peter replies kissing her on the forehead as she stops to have another contraction

"Ew" Carla groans as her waters break rolling her eyes clearly unamused as Peter grabs a towel from the cupboard to mop up the liquid

"I'll get you an old night gown or something as well" Peter smiles as Michelle leads Carla into the bathroom to help clean her up as Kate informs Sarah

"Here you are sweetheart" Peter smiles handing her one of her old nightgowns

"Ta" she replies throwing it on over her head, closing her eyes leaning on Michelle as another contraction happens

"Oh, baby" Peter sighs rubbing her back

"Could you find my bikini top?" Carla questions quietly as Peter leaves the room to find it for her returning it to her as she finishes her current contraction as she takes her night gown off to put it on

"You look tired" Peter observes as she goes to hug him nuzzling into him yawning in the process

"I am, I might try and get some sleep on that makeshift bed that Kate made, bless her" she replies lazily as Peter helps her into the living room as he helps her down on the floor, throwing a blanket over her as he sits behind her

"Close your eyes for a bit, Michelle could you dim the lights?" Peter asks as Michelle heads over to the light switch dimming them down a bit as she returns to sit on the sofa watching Carla try to sleep

"I'm going to head off, dad's probably wondering where I've got to" Kate smiles bending down to give Carla a kiss on the forehead

"Bye Kate" Carla mumbles holding her hand for a bit smiling slightly

"See ya, let me know what happens yeah?"

"We will" Peter smiles at her grateful for everything she has done as Kate leaves the flat

"Peter" Carla winces sitting up as another contraction kicks in Peter rubbing her back for her as she breaths through it Michelle kneeling down in front of her, coaching her through it

"Good job darlin'" Michelle smiles planting a kiss on her head still holding one of her hands

"Can I check you again quickly before you try and sleep for a bit?" Katie asks sitting down in front of her as Carla moves down so she was laying on her back

"Alright just relax for me" Katie smiles checking to see where the baby was

"Peter it hurts, make it stop" Carla replies tearfully as Peter holds her hand as she squeezed it

"I know sweetheart just think about something else ok?" Peter suggests and she nods rapidly

"Ok Carla you're about a six now, we need to think about filling the pool up if you want to use it" Katie replies glancing to her as she huffs not enjoying the experience

"Michelle could you connect the water?" Peter asks as she gets the hosepipe out turning on the hot water from the tap

"Yeah" she smiles as Sarah helps her

"You alright?" Peter questions Carla as she settles back down trying to sleep for a bit

"Just tired" she sighs snuggling down next to him as he strokes her hair

"It'll all be over soon ok, you're doing so well, I love you"

"Love you too"

"Try and get some sleep" Peter smiles massaging her head gently as another contraction starts

"Peter make it stop" Carla cries gently, the minimal dosage of her medication having an effect on her, her body trying to adjust to it

"You're ok me and Michelle are here, we've just got this last hurdle ok?" Peter sooths her rubbing her back as she moves so that she was on her side

"Carla would you like a hot water bottle on your back?" Sarah suggests coming to sit by her on the floor noticing she was in a lot of pain, she doesn't reply, instead she just closes her eyes

"I'll get one even if she doesn't want it" Michelle smiles going over to the kettle and flicking it on

"I just want to curl up in a ball and cry" Carla cries gently as Peter kisses her head glancing at Sarah who was making sure the pool was at the correct temperature

"I know, how are you feeling out of 10?" Peter asks and she just shakes her head in reply to the situation as Peter brings her into a hug trying to comfort her again

"Here you are darlin' put this on your back" Michelle smiles handing the hot water bottle to Peter who holds it on Carla's back for her

"Is that helping sweetheart?" Peter questions as she nods gently

"It hurts" Carla whispers as Peter rubs her back for her as she squeezes his other hand

"Right Carla, I would say that you could probably get in now" Sarah smiles checking the temperature of the water

"There's a heater in the box if you need it" Peter states as Sarah nods going to get it out of the box ready to warm the water up if it was needed

"Shall we get you in then?" Peter replies helping her stand up walking her over to the pool

"Peter" she replies cautiously

"What darlin' speak to me?" Peter prompts her as she shakes her head "I'll be right here ok"

"It's a bit hot" Carla moans sitting down in the water

"It needs to be, I'm sorry" Sarah smiles getting some things out of the bag she bought with her

"Is it helping?" Peter questions and Carla nods slowly resting her head on the side of the inflatable pool looking at Peter as Michelle sits down

"Can I listen to the baby Carla?" Sarah questions kneeling down in front of her with the doppler as she narrows her eyes

"Ok" she replies moving slightly so Sarah can listen

"Still nice and regular, I'm very happy" Sarah grins drying the doppler off

"Let me know if you need to push or anything ok?"

"Ok"

"Peter it hurts so bad" she groans as she tries to get comfortable closing her eyes as Peter kisses her forehead

"Just think you will be meeting your son or daughter for the first time very soon, keep that in your mind" Peter smiles stroking her hair

"Michelle" Carla mumbles

"Yeah?"

"Could you tie my hair up, Peter's incapable" she grins slightly feeling a bit happier as Peter rolls his eyes but not taking anything to heart as he knew Carla was just trying to make light of the situation

"Sure" Michelle smirks taking a hair band off her wrist to tie Carla's hair up for her

"What's the, hang on" Carla sighs as a contraction starts silencing everyone as she works through it tears streaming down her face

"You're doing so well" Peter smiles as Carla huffs clearly unamused rolling her eyes

"Anyway what's the time?" she mumbles holding Peter's hand

"It's almost midnight, you've done so well just a little further" Peter smiles genuinely kissing her on the lips as she looks up at him as she kisses him again

"Another one, seriously?" she mumbles rolling her eyes as she breaths through it as Peter and Michelle laugh at her bluntness

"Are you feeling the urge to push yet Carla?" Katie asks as Sarah gets everything ready for when the baby makes its first appearance

"I just feel a load of pressure during a contraction I don't want to push yet" Carla mumbles as Peter massages her head for her

"Ok, we're getting close then" Katie replies giving Carla's hand a supportive squeeze

"We better be, I aint waiting around for another day" Carla groans rolling her eyes thinking about how long she had been waiting in discomfort

"I'd say give it another hour or so and we might have a baby" Sarah calls from the kitchen counter where she was setting up the scales

"I've waited long enough let alone another hour" Carla moans rolling her eyes as another contraction kicks in as she hums her way through it, Peter's hand being squeezed by her

"I kind of want to push, not sure though" Carla replies as her contraction finishes as Michelle laughs

"How do you not know?" Michelle grins shaking her head in amusement

"Well I don't know do I, I'm not arguing with you over this, I can't be bothered" she mumbles rolling her eyes as Peter and Michelle share a look deciding not to anger her any more

"Ok, let's say next contraction you give me a little push, let me know when you feel it coming ok?" Katie asks as Carla nods in agreement wanting to get the baby out

"Michelle how did you do this like 10 times?" Carla mumbles moodily

"Twice" she corrects her

"Still" Carla shrugs

"You'll forget all about it, trust me when that baby's in your arms you will not remember anything" Michelle grins giving Carla's hand a squeeze

"I hope, Peter, hand" Carla replies moving her hand around to try and find his as a contraction kicks in

"Ok Carla, give a really gentle push for me and tell me what you feel" Katie asks sliding surgical gloves on "Ok good really gentle"

"I felt something moving down within me" she replies tilting her head back as Peter leans over to kiss her forehead

"Alright that's what I wanted to hear, I think we can start pushing a bit harder on the next few" Katie smiles waiting for another contraction to kick in

"Thank god, get this thing out of me" Carla groans as her face scrunches up as another contraction kicks in as she scrunches up her face

"Ok give a push for me" Katie grins as Carla dips her chin down to her chest, pushing her baby out

"Well done sweetheart, I'm so proud of you" Peter grins playing with her hair which was in the ponytail

"You're so close now Car" Michelle smiles holding her hand, squeezing it gently

"Peter" Carla groans holding his hand

"Is that another one Carla?" Katie questions as Carla nods, starting to push

"Ow ow ow" she cries taking a deep breath closing her eyes, at the end of her push as she squeezes Michelle's hand tightly not enjoying herself

"You're doing so well just keep doing what your body's telling you to do, looks like I'm not needed" Katie grins rolling her eyes as Carla smiles tilting her head back

"Another one, they're coming so quick" Carla moans as Michelle rolls her eyes, as Carla pushes again

"Ok, stop a minute, I see baby's head I just need you to push gently on the next contraction, when it comes out don't panic, it won't drown ok" Katie smiles as Carla nods glancing back to Peter who smiles at her knowing that it will be a matter of minutes before they meet their baby

"Another one" Carla mumbles as Michelle holds her hand, Peter kissing her forehead as Carla gives one final push which delivers the baby Carla gasping for a breath

"Ok, now be really gentle, we don't want to give it a fright" Katies grins helping Carla lift her baby up to her chest as it immediately cries when brought out of the water

"Hello baby, don't cry" Carla smiles tears of happiness streaming down everyone's face as she turns to face Peter holding her baby for the first time

"The time is 7 minutes past midnight May 7th" Katie says as Sarah jots the time down on the birth certificate

"What do we have then?" Peter grins stroking Carla's hair as Michelle wipes her eyes the situation obviously emotional for her

"A little boy" Carla grins giving Peter a kiss on the lips rocking her baby gently in her arms as her son's cries soften "Hey don't cry"

"A little brother for Hayley and Simon, she would be so proud of you, you know that right?" Peter grins stroking his sons foot amazed at how something so delicate and precious in this world is in his fiancées arms

"He's so soft, Peter" Carla smiles down at him as his eyes flutter open every now and then, one of her hands stroking his cheek

"Can I weigh him?" Sarah questions as Carla offers her the baby, supporting his head

"He's tiny Car" Michelle smiles as Peter leans in to kiss Carla as Carla turns to face Michelle smiling at her taking her hand

"Go see him Peter" Carla encourages him which he does as Katie helps her with the last stage of labour

"He's a little thing, but perfectly healthy" Sarah smiles taking his measurements as well as foot prints for his birth certificate

"How much does he weigh?" Peter questions so he could inform Carla as his son grips on to his finger out of reflex

"Umm 6lb 4oz" Sarah replies looking at the scales before wrapping the baby up in a blanket, putting a hat on his head as she hands him to Peter who rocks him gently going over to Carla and Michelle

"How much does he weigh?" Carla questions stroking her sons cheek as Peter holds him, rocking him gently as his eyes flutter open every now and then

"6lb 4oz" Peter grins as Carla smiles fondly at them both

"He's tiny" Michelle grins bringing a hand up to her mouth in pure adoration for her nephew

"I'm surprised he's that small, he felt so big coming out of me and in me" Carla replies staring at her son in complete awe

"Right shall we get you out?" Katie asks as Carla nods, getting out of the pool going to sit on the makeshift bed that Kate made earlier as Peter holds his son, drinking him in

"She did so well didn't she?" Michelle questions as Peter nods as the baby starts to cry

"I'm so proud of her, oh darling do you want your mummy?" Peter grins going over to see Carla as he gives her the baby which his cries dull a bit

"He's probably hungry, do you want to feed him?" Sarah questions as Carla glances up at Peter unsure

"Why don't you try?" Peter suggests as she nods, Sarah helping her to place the baby slightly under her breast as he latches on straight away

"Oh wow, this is weird?" Carla grins rubbing her sons back gently as he feeds off her, taken aback by the feelings she had in her

"Good weird?" Michelle questions tilting her head to the side, in complete awe of Carla interacting with a baby which she thought would never happen in a million years

"A very good weird" she grins at Michelle then Peter, glancing back down to her son

"Anyway I think that's us done here" Katie replies packing up most of her stuff

"Right here's a letter for a week today so we can check you both over, I've informed Scott via email so he should be in touch later in the morning about what to do with your medication, now enjoy your son and I was so glad I was here" Sarah smiles as Carla smiles back at her then glancing down to her son

"You know what today is don't you?" Michelle questions gently

"Mmm Aiden's two year anniversary" Carla smiles slightly gazing at her son who was feeding off her still

"I can't believe he's here" Carla shakes her head amused at everything that's happened

"Neither can I, but I think he will be the making of you"


	34. Chapter 34

**I hope you like the name, I wasn't sure but I felt like it was only right...**

**Thank you for all the reviews, I hope you enjoy the next installment!**

* * *

**May 7th 2020**

"How is he?" Peter questions bringing Carla a cup of coffee as she sits on the sofa holding the baby which was still in the blanket that Sarah wrapped around him when he was born

"He's perfect" she smiles, holding her baby in her arms as he grasps onto one of her fingers

"He is isn't he?" Peter smiles playing with one of his sons hands

"He's so small, but he's just amazing" Carla grins up at Peter as her son starts to whimper

"Hey, you're alright" Carla smiles rocking him gently in her arms stoking his cheek as his face changes, threatening to let out a large wail, Carla moves him so he's more comfortable

"He's gonna be a stunner" Peter says as Carla raises her eyebrows questioning Peter's choice of words

"I can't believe how tiny he is" Carla smiles in awe with the situation

"Me neither I thought he would at least be 7lbs or something" Peter grins kissing Carla on the side of her head as she tickles the baby's hand

"I kind of wanna get him changed into one of his little outfits, it's like 'Chelle's done all the hard work" Carla smiles pointing over to the arm chair where Michelle was having a nap before standing up carefully with her son in her arms going into the spare room picking up the fox outfit Peter got her for her birthday

"Right then little man, shall we get you changed?" Carla coos before stopping looking at Peter not really knowing what to do

"What?

"I don't wanna break him" Carla replies biting her lip realising how delicate her baby was afraid that if she didn't change him correctly she would hurt him

"You wont break him" Peter laughs taking the clothing off her, unwrapping the blanket ready to put the outfit on

"Peter be careful" Carla shrieks not liking the situation as he puts the outfit on

"Look he's fine, don't worry" Peter grins putting the hat on his sons head as he stretches his little arms

"Oh yeah…sorry he didn't look comfortable"

"Hey guys" Michelle enters the room from having a nap, yawning in the process

"Hi, wanna hold your nephew?" Carla offers as Michelle walks over to take the baby off Peter, bouncing him gently

"Oh Carla…he's beautiful" Michelle gasps as the baby holds one of her fingers as she coos over him

"He needs a name" Carla states as Peter hugs her knowing that she probably didn't like calling the baby an it or he all the time

"That's very true" Peter agrees as Michelle rocks the baby gently in her arms

"We also need to notify everyone" Carla groans at the thought of all the attention which she hated

"We could just put a notification in the group chat?" Peter suggests as Carla groans in response not wanting everyone to flock over to theirs at once

"I don't know, I would like to think of a name first before we go announcing stuff" she replies going to take her son off Michelle, holding him against her chest

"Well, Kate's probably told Johnny and you haven't checked your phone yet…" Michelle trails off as Carla bites her lip, handing her son to Peter, going into the bedroom to unplug her phone

"14 missed calls from Johnny and 20 missed messages from Kate, Johnny even Jenny" Carla groans not wanting to reply to them all as the baby starts to cry, Michelle laughs

"Hey sweetheart, what's with all the tears?" Carla questions taking the baby off Peter rocking him against her chest

"He might need changing" Carla states lying him down on the changing table taking his outfit off as Peter and Michelle watch in amazement at how well Carla was adjusting to being a mum

"There we go" Carla smiles putting the outfit back on after changing him, holding the baby close to her chest rocking him gently as he settles back down

"How about Aidan?" Peter suggests and Carla frowns not really knowing what to say, going to sit on the rocking chair

"Hmm Aidan Barlow?" Carla frowns unsure of it glancing down to the baby which was rested on her chest

"I like it. What do you all think?" Carla questions smiling stroking her sons head, the possibility of the name Aidan really taking to her

"I think it's sweet" Michelle smiles sitting on the arm of the rocking chair stroking the baby's head

"I like it" Peter smiles as Carla contemplates the name

"I like it too, I'll need to ask Johnny to make sure it's ok to use the name otherwise I think we may need to find another contender" Carla smiles glancing down to the baby kissing his head as he sleeps on her chest

"You should get some sleep" Peter smiles stroking her hair knowing that this wouldn't be good for her mental health

"I might jump in the shower quick, you can look after him" Carla smiles shifting the baby on to Peter "Let me know if he needs my boob"

"I will, Michelle do you want a cuddle so I can set up the moses basket in the bedroom?" Peter questions standing up with the baby in his arms

"Come here then little man" Michelle coos as she holds her nephew, sitting in the rocking chair, placing the baby on her chest as he yawns

"This is cuteness overload Peter" Michelle states in absolute awe of the baby which was lying peacefully on her chest

"He is pretty cute, and tiny not gonna lie" Peter grins setting up the moses basket making sure it was secure

"So then, are you going to be Aunty 'Chelle or just 'Chelle?" Peter smirks as Michelle rolls her eyes

"Aunty 'Chelle" she corrects him rubbing her hand up and down her nephews back

"That was refreshing, I feel a lot more human now" Carla smiles having just gotten out of the shower, entering the nursery

"I'm glad" Peter grins giving her a kiss on her forehead as the baby cries

"Someone's hungry" Michelle grins standing up to give Carla the baby

"Is there that pillow thing?" Carla questions trying her best to silence her baby's cries temporarily

"Here it is" Peter grins placing it on her lap as she lays the baby on it ready to feed him

"He's a good little feeder isn't he?" Michelle grins watching him feed

"Mmm I mean he is pretty small, probably trying to grow poor thing" Carla chuckles softly stroking her baby's cheek as Peter watches on

"Oh dear" Carla grins as he baby spits her boob out giving a little whimper as she tilts him on his front so she could rub his back

"He's going to drop off to sleep in that position if you leave him there" Michelle grins watching the baby close its eyes, enjoying the fact that Carla was rubbing it's back

"We all done sweetie?" Carla coos bringing him so he was in the crook of her arm looking up at Michelle who smiles back at her

"Right, that moses basket's by the bed if you want to get some rest?" Peter offers as Carla nods in agreement going into the bedroom and placing her baby in the moses basket, draping a blanket over him before sliding into bed

"She's adjusted really well hasn't she?" Michelle says quietly glancing to Peter

"She has, I'm so proud of her" Peter whispers

* * *

Both Carla and Peter slept for around 5 hours, Michelle headed back to her old flat for a bit to rest, before deciding that they couldn't hold off not telling the family as it was almost 9 am and no doubt all of them would be knocking at the door, Carla wanted to speak to Johnny about the name they came up with before they officially started calling the baby Aidan in case they got too attached to the name. The baby woke once or twice when Carla was sleeping either wanting to be fed or changed or to be reassured that it wasn't alone, she didn't mind neither did Peter as they both got some sort of rest before they started to tell people.

"Right who are we inviting around first then?" Peter questions folding some blankets in the kitchen to go into the nursery as Carla lays on the sofa with the baby on her chest

"I think we should invite Johnny, Jenny and Kate so we can get this name malarkey sorted" she grins rubbing her baby's back

"Ok, do you want to invite them around then?" Peter smiles grabbing her phone for her so she didn't have to wake the baby up

"Thanks, god there's so many messages" she groans scrolling through her phone to message Johnny which he instantly replies

"He'll be around right now he says" Carla moans rolling her eyes as Peter laughs going to sit next to her on the sofa, lifting her legs up and placing them back down on his lap

"Is he asleep?" Peter questions

"Mmm yeah he looks comfy" Carla smiles kissing her son on the head as the buzzer goes off which Peter goes to answer, letting Carla's family up

"These are for you" Kate smiles handing over some flowers to Peter which he gratefully accepts as she goes over to the sofa

"Hey, love" Johnny smiles kneeling down beside her "Who's this then?"

"This is your grandson" Carla grins stroking her sons head as he shuffles around

"He's beautiful" Johnny beams as Carla grins in agreement

"Oh my god, he is so cute, he's so small" Kate grins sitting on the arm of the sofa gazing down at them both

"You can hold him if you want, he'll probably cry as he seems to be very attached to me, but we can try" Carla shrugs sitting up supporting the baby's head as she moves, Johnny sitting one side of her and Kate on the other as she hands the baby to Johnny

"He's beautiful Carla" Johnny beams as the baby starts to whimper scrunching it's face up unhappy with the situation

"Yeah, I knew that would happen" Carla smirks towards Peter as he rolls his eyes

"Does he have a name?" Johnny questions handing the baby back to Carla as he immediately settles

"That's what I wanted to ask you about…Peter suggested the name Aidan I obviously wanted to run it past you all before I named him" Carla explains bouncing the baby gently

"I think it's a wonderful idea, dad?" Kate prompts as Johnny takes one of Carla's hands and giving it a kiss

"Do it, I think it's a lovely idea considering he was born on his anniversary…" Johnny smiles grateful that she asked him before assuming

"So is he a Barlow or a Connor?" Kate questions

"Barlow, Aidan Barlow, just need to think of a middle name" Carla grins happy that they have a name sorted now "Do you want a hold Kate?"

"Sure" she grins as Carla passes the baby to her as Kate coos over him

"Yay someone he's happy with, he's definitely not going to be a people person" Carla beams knowing that Aidan was very attached to her at the moment

"I don't know, his face is scrunching up" Kate smiles watching her nephew as he starts to whimper

"Yeah he's not happy" Carla smirks holding her sons hand "Hey I'm here"

"I'll give him back to you, I don't want to upset him further" Kate grins passing the baby back to Carla who shushes him gently against her chest

"He's so tiny, how much did he weigh?" Johnny questions as Aidan grasps onto his finger looking at Johnny

"6lbs 4oz, he's a tiny little thing, but Sarah said he was perfectly healthy" Carla smiles tilting her head to look at her sons face

"He's so perfect Carla" Jenny smiles after talking to Peter

"Want a hold?" Carla offers, smiling

"He looks comfy, I wouldn't want to upset him any further" Jenny replies as Carla smiles knowing it was probably best

"Well we need to get the Barlow's around here, I might bring him round tomorrow depending on how I feel, show him off to the street" Carla grins as Johnny, Jenny and Kate collect their coats and say their goodbyes

"He's very attached to you isn't he?" Peter grins kissing Carla's head, holding one of Aidan's hands

"Mmm I reckon he only does it because I'm the food giver…" Carla smirks as Peter rolls his eyes

"Shall I text my family to come over, Simon included?" Peter questions and Carla nods as Aidan starts to cry, Peter pulling his phone out to text everyone

"Hey, it's ok are you hungry little one?" Carla questions adjusting herself so that she could feed him which he gratefully accepts

"You're getting the hang of which cries mean what aren't you?" Peter smiles, Aidan's hand still wrapped round one of his finger's

"Mmm most of the time it's boob" she shrugs rubbing Aidan's back as he feeds

"He seems comfortable" Peter smiles as Carla smiles up at him

"You done?" Carla questions as if Aidan would answer her, as he stops feeding "I think you're done"

"Peter could you pass us that burping cloth from the arm chair?" Carla questions waving her hand towards it as he goes to collect it

"Here, I'll put it on your shoulder" Peter smiles, helping her out as she settles Aidan on her shoulder patting his back gently as the buzzer goes off

"That'll be my dad, Tracey, Adam and Daniel" Peter smiles going to let them up

"Hello Peter, Carla congratulations" Ken smiles entering the flat with a gift basket as Tracey rolls her eyes not bothering with pleasantries

"Thank you Ken, come and meet your grandson" Carla smiles patting the sofa next to her

"It's a boy?"

"Yep" Carla smiles adjusting Aidan in her arms so Ken could get a better view

"He's tiny" Ken gasps rubbing his grandsons foot

"He should be happier now that he's just been fed, if you want to hold him?" Carla offers as Ken nods politely, Carla moving Aidan so he was supported in Ken's arms

"He's gorgeous, does he have a name yet?" Ken questions in anticipation rocking Aidan gently

"Aidan, we named him after my brother, considering it's the anniversary of his death today" Carla smiles playing with Aidan's foot watching his face scrunch up

"Oh he's not happy is he?" Ken laughs slightly

"No he's very clingy, he only likes to be held by Peter or me, Michelle sometimes, but that's about it really" Carla shrugs as Ken offers him back which she takes him holding Aidan against her chest to calm him down

"He's a cracker isn't he Peter?" Adam grins as Peter nods in agreement

"He's been relatively good, he's very clingy with his parents though" Peter smiles as Adam pats him on the back

"Do you want a hold Adam?" Carla offers as Adam sits beside her as she places him in his arms making sure his head is supported

"Wow, he's very small isn't he?" Adam grins stroking Aidan's cheek as Carla nods in agreement still amazed how small he was considering she thought he would be much bigger

"He seems to like you for some reason" Carla states as Aidan starts to wail, she rolls her eyes think how coincidental it was

"Nope, he doesn't" Adam grins handing Aidan back to her as his cries turn into small whimpers

"Trace? Want to hold him?" Peter asks as she swaps places with Adam, as Carla hands Aidan to her

"Oh he is a beauty isn't he?" Tracey smiles as Carla waits in anticipation to see if Aidan will cry

"He seems to like you" Carla grins as Aidan seems to settle in Tracey's arms

"I'm surprised" she chuckles as Aiden starts to fall asleep on her shifting around slightly

"Let's have a hold" Daniel grins as Tracey passes Aidan over to him, as he starts to wail loudly

"Yeah… I think I'll have him back now" Carla grins as Daniel passes Aidan back to her, his cries immediately soften

"Anyway, we're going to head off now so I hope you enjoy the sleepless nights" Tracey grins as Carla rolls her eyes Peter glaring at her as they all leave

"Right, I'll text Si to see if he wants to come and see him" Peter smiles pulling out his phone as Carla rocks him

"I think he needs a change so I'll just go and do that quickly" Carla smiles heading off into the nursery to change Aidan as there was a knock at the door

"Hey son" Peter answers giving his son a hug

"Hi dad" Simon grins handing him a little gift basket

"Right you take a seat on the sofa, let me just get the pillow thing so it's easier to hold the baby" Peter grins going into the nursery to collect it and to see how Carla was getting on

"Si's here" Peter smiles grabbing the pillow which was propped up by the side of the rocking chair

"Ah, I'm just changing his outfit, he made a bit of a mess" Carla smiles pointing to the wash bin as she picks Aidan up, following Peter out of the room to see Simon

"Hi Si" Carla grins taking a seat next to him, Aidan in her arms

"Is this…" he starts

"Your brother" Carla smiles rocking Aidan gently as he stretches his arms

"Cool, can I hold him?" Simon questions as Peter puts the pillow on his lap, Carla placing Aidan on it as Simon gazes down at his brother

"He seems settled, we'll see how long that lasts" Carla rolls her eyes not knowing how Aidan will cope with Simon considering he cried with the majority of people

"Does he have a name?" Simon questions as Aidan grasps onto one of this fingers

"He's called Aidan" Carla grins as Simon smiles up at her

"After your brother?"

"Yep"

"Cool, what time was he born and how much did he weigh, he looks smaller than Oliver did when he was first born" Simon questions as Carla is touched by his interest

"7 minutes past midnight and he weighed 6lbs 4oz" Carla smiles tickling one of Aidan's feet as he wriggles his toes

"I popped around yesterday but dad said you were in labour so I didn't want to disturb you" Simon smiles as Carla puts an arm around his shoulders

"So then, do you like him?"

"He doesn't do much, but yeah he's just like Oliver was" Simon shrugs, Aidan still grasping onto one of his fingers

"I can't believe he cried for everyone apart from Tracey" Carla says to Peter who shakes his head in amusement at the situation knowing that Tracey didn't have the most calming of influences

"Really, you should make her a god parent" Simon snickers as Carla rolls her eyes

"I don't think so…" Carla grins giving Simon a nudge

"Anyway, I need to get going as I'm meeting up with some mates later, I'll pop around tomorrow or something" Simon smiles as Peter lifts Aiden off the pillow to hold him against his chest

"Come here little man" Peter smiles holding Aidan against his chest, going to the door to say goodbye to Simon

"That was sweet of him to pop around, bless him" Carla smiles at how interested Simon was

"Right, you can get some sleep if you want?" Peter offers as Carla smiles

"I will actually, let me know if he wants a feed"

"I will, now get some sleep"


	35. Chapter 35

**8th May 2020**

Aidan was now a day old and Carla was determined to take him out and about for the first time today in the pushchair as she wanted to give him a tour of where he lived. Peter was supportive of this decision but he didn't want Carla to be forced into doing things she didn't want to do as she was still very tired but he could tell she was itching to get out of the flat and to show Aidan off to everyone.

"Right then, what do you even put in a changing bag?" Carla grins as Aidan sleeps on Peter's chest as he sits in the armchair

"Well nappies, spare set of clothes, dummy, baby wipes, blanket…" Peter lists as Carla runs around collecting everything and putting it in the bag

"Right, I feel like we're missing something, I might get Michelle here to check everything" Carla replies biting her lip not wanting to forget anything

"Look Car, if we forget something I can always nip back and get it?" Peter offers and she nods her head getting the pushchair ready to put Aidan in it

"Right, shall we get him strapped in?" Peter smiles going to place Aidan in the pram as he whimpers a bit not really liking being separated from one of his parents

"Oh baby, don't cry" Carla sighs as Aidan continues to whimper slightly "Well he doesn't like the pram…"

"He'll be alright, he might settle if we walk him" Peter suggests and Carla nods in agreement putting her coat on ready to walk him around

"Where shall we go first?" Carla questions

"We could go and see Michelle, she's on the way isn't she?" Peter suggests as Carla nods, heading to Michelle's flat, knocking on her front door

"Hey guys, come in" Michelle beckons them in as Carla puts the brakes on the pram

"I'll get him out" Peter smiles as Carla goes into the kitchen to help Michelle make some drinks for them both

"So how's Aidan been, you are calling him that?" Michelle asks giving Carla a cup of coffee

"Yeah, we're calling him Aidan, Johnny and Kate really liked the idea, he's been really good, he's eating so much, he may as well be attached to me all the time he eats that much" Carla moans taking a sip of her coffee finally enjoying the freedom of not having a baby attached to her

"Right, let me have a cuddle then"

"Be warned he's been whimpering a lot when he isn't being held by me or Peter" Carla rolls her eyes taking a seat next to Michelle as Peter hand's Aidan over to her

"Hey little man" Michelle grins rocking him gently as he snuggles into her, grasping one of her fingers

"He's really good most of the time, he wakes when he wants to eat or needs changing and just sleeps for the rest" Carla shrugs tickling Aidan's foot gently as he kicks his leg not happy about it, his little face scrunching up

"He doesn't like to be tickled does he?" Michelle grins as Carla laughs continuing to tickle Aidan's feet as he tries to move his feet away

"He is so cute though, gotta give you that" Michelle smiles as Aidan yawns wanting to sleep so Carla decides to stop

"Woah little man, that was a big yawn" Carla smiles fondly at her son as he squirms slightly

"It was don't understand how he could be tired, he sleeps 90% of the time" Peter rolls his eyes glancing at Aidan

"Hmm I agree with you on that" Carla replies going to tickle Aidan's feet again which he whimpers to moving his feet away

"Oh dear, we really don't like that do we sweetheart?" Michelle laughs stroking his cheek, as Aidan scrunches his face up

"It's so funny though, I just lay him on the bed and tickle his feet and watch him move his legs trying to get away from my hands, Peter tells me to stop but I just think it's too funny" Carla laughs bending down to kiss Aidan's foot as he begins to whimper quietly threatening a loud wail

"Go back to your mum then, I see Aunty 'Chelle's a bit boring for you" Michelle rolls her eyes handing Aidan back to Carla as he starts to tug at her top

"Oh great, he now knows how to get at my boobs" Carla mutters adjusting herself so she can feed Aidan, as he latches on immediately

"How are you finding breastfeeding?" Michelle asks as Carla still tries to adjust Aidan so he was more comfortable

"I like it, it's like we have a special connection, you know, I've also got some bottles and a pump so if Peter wants to have a go at feeding him he can" Carla smiles as Aidan feeds off her as she strokes his hair

"He's going for it isn't he?" Michelle laughs as Carla rolls her eyes as Aidan is engrossed in feeding off Carla

"He does, like he'll have one massive feed a day then loads of little ones spaced out, or when he's upset I'll just stick him on there to shut him up" Carla moans as Peter nods in agreement and at her bluntness

"I guess that's one way of doing it…" Michelle trails off taking the cups to the sink to wash up as Ali and Ryan enter the flat

"We can go…" Ryan starts not wanting to interrupt anything

"You can stay if you want" Carla smiles as Aidan finishes feeding off her as she gets ready to burp him

"So then, does this little lad have a name yet?" Ryan questions sitting in the armchair

"We decided to call him Aidan, considering he was born on the say of Aidan's death…" Carla trails off adjusting Aidan so he was on her shoulder so he could be burped, rubbing his back for a bit before Ryan speaks

"Give us a hold then" Ryan grins as Carla gets up handing Aidan to Ryan making sure his head was supported as he starts to wail

"Hey little man calm down, ey?" Ryan grins rocking him gently as his cries soften slightly, his eyes opening to look up at Ryan

"Ah, he likes you" Carla smiles as Aidan grasps onto one of her fingers

"It's only because I'm much cooler than his mum" Ryan grins cheekily as Carla rolls her eyes, Michelle trying to suppress laughter

"Well, you can deal with the sleepless nights if you want to look after him…" Carla trails off

"No thanks, you can have him back" Ryan smiles handing Aidan back to Carla as she rolls her eyes again "Want a hold Ali?"

"Sure" he smiles as he takes Aidan off Carla propping him against his shoulder

"He likes you too, yay" Carla smiles happy that Aidan liked being held by some of his family members compared to yesterday's fiasco

"He's actually really happy, is he feeding ok?" Ali questions moving him so he was in the crook of his arm as Aidan stretches his arms

"Yeah, he may as well be attached to me, treats me like I'm a milk machine" Carla smiles as Ali nods, going to hand him back as Carla props him up against her chest going to sit back down on the sofa as Aidan whimpers slightly as Michelle tickles his feet

"This is child abuse" Peter states as Carla rolls her eyes

"It's pretty funny though" Carla grins as Aidan kicks his legs to get away from Michelle starting to cry in the process

"Oh sweetheart I'll stop now" Michelle laughs going to pick up her coffee cup trying to suppress laughter

"I guess we better go and see Johnny" Carla smiles heading off to the pram to put Aidan in it, throwing a blanket over him as he starts to whimper again

"Does he not like the pram?" Michelle grins, peering into the pram watching Aidan's face scrunch up and Carla rolls her eyes as if it was obvious

"He hates it" Carla replies bluntly watching Aidan's face scrunch up "Please don't cry"

"Oh dear, someone is not happy" Peter smirks putting an arm around Carla's shoulders gazing into the pram

"Right we're going to head off see if he will settle when we walk him" Carla smiles going to give Michelle a hug

"Have fun" Michelle grins as Carla rolls her eyes knowing that she would be smothered in attention from both sides of the family if the Barlow's were in the pub, as they begin the walk to Johnny's

"Only us!" Carla opens the back door not wanting anyone to see her yet

"Hello, love" Johnny grins giving her a hug and planting a kiss on Aidan's head

"Hi Johnny" Carla grins offering for him to hold Aidan

"You sure?" Johnny smiles not wanting to upset his grandson

"I'm sure, take your grandson, he won't be happy but we can try" Carla smirks towards Peter, Aidan still being very dependent on her

"Hey little man" Johnny smiles as Aidan grasps on of his fingers yawning in the process, his face scrunching up

"Watch this" Carla grins, tickling one of Aidan's feet as he tries to move his feet away Peter nudging her

"Oh he doesn't like that does he?" Johnny laughs rocking Aidan gently in his arms as he whimpers every now and then

"Her and Michelle were doing it continuously" Peter rolls his eyes giving Carla a hug and a kiss on the head

"Hi Carla, love" Jenny smiles entering the room from the bar

"Hey Jenny, want to hold him, he's in a good mood" Carla smiles taking Aidan off Johnny and offering him to Jenny which she gratefully accepts

"Oh wow, he's tiny" Jenny smiles as Aidan kicks his legs

"We thought he would be much bigger" Peter smiles as Carla leans her head on his shoulder

"He felt so big inside me" Carla groans at the thought of being pregnant and how fast things have changed

"Well he is very cute, I'll give you that, so what's his official name then?" Jenny questions rocking Aidan in her arms, as Peter and Carla share a look

"We still can't find a suitable middle name" Carla sighs not really knowing whether to give Aidan a middle name as there wasn't one which really suited him

"Why not use Aidan's middle name?" Johnny suggests and Carla rolls her eyes

"No, it's not going to be Aidan Finbar Barlow, that's such a mouthful" Carla groans at the thought as well as the name

"Yeah, I take that back, what about Robert, after Rob?" Johnny suggests as Carla scrunches her nose up at the suggestion not really wanting to inflict a murderers name onto her son

"That's basically asking for him to be bullied at school" Peter retorts as Carla nods in agreement

"How about Ruairi, you know after…?" Jenny trails off gazing down at Aidan in her arms, as Carla contemplates the name

"Aidan Ruairi Barlow?" Peter replies, seeing how it sounded deciding in his mind that he liked it

"It's sounds nice I mean…it could work" Carla glances to Peter as he agrees kissing her on the forehead

"I'll need to ask Michelle but it's a contender" Carla smiles as Jenny hands Aidan back to her as she holds him against her chest

"Right I guess we better alert the street…" Carla smiles wrapping a blanket over Aidan as he snuggles into her chest as her and Peter prepare to go out into the bar with Johnny

"I have an announcement to make" Johnny grins ringing the bell as both Carla and Peter appear from the back room with Aidan against Carla's chest

"I wanted to introduce you all to my grandson…" Johnny beams as Carla and Peter rolls their eyes at the prospect of a speech as everyone claps, Carla and Peter showing him off to everyone they know, including the old underworld workers who were happy for her and Peter's family and Michelle who popped in after Peter text her in case things got a bit much for Carla

"Do you want to hold your son?" Carla offers whispering to Peter as he turns to face her as she smiles at him

"Come here then little one" Peter smiles pecking Carla on the lips as Aidan snuggles into his chest, grasping onto his blanket as he yawns

"Hey, congratulations" Leanne approaches them

"Finally got him out" Carla chuckles as Leanne laughs remembering when she was in the early stages of labour

"Has he got a name?" Leanne questions as Peter glances to Carla making sure she was alright with the situation

"Aidan" Carla grins as Leanne smiles

"That's a lovely name, anyway I better join the in laws or out laws whatever you call them…" Leanne says going off to sit with the Platts

"I'm just going to go and change him…" Peter smiles heading off into the backroom leaving Michelle to come and spend some time with Carla

"Hey, you" Michelle smiles bringing Carla into a hug along with Kate

"Hey 'Chelle" Carla smiles "I wanted to ask you something actually…"

"Really?" Michelle frowns not really knowing what it could be about as Carla leads her to the side

"We thought of a middle name for him but we wanted to know if it was ok to use Ruairi, you don't have to agree to it but I wanted to reflect you in his name as you have helped me so much these past months" Carla smiles as tears stream down Michelle face, Carla wondering whether it was a mistake even thinking about the name

"I love it, thank you, so it's Aidan Ruairi Barlow?" Michelle confirms wiping her eyes

"Yeah, it's Aidan Ruairi Barlow, Johnny suggested even using Finbar and Robert, but I didn't want the risk of bullying" Carla grins and Michelle nods in agreement as well as wincing at the name suggestions

"That is such a cute name, sis" Kate grins giving Carla a hug

"Hey, love" Peter appears by her side with Aidan in his arms offering him back to her which she accepts holding Aidan against her chest as he sleeps peacefully, Johnny ringing the bell, Jenny giving Peter and Carla a glass of orange juice as they both roll their eyes

"I would like to propose a toast…to my grandson, Aidan Ruairi Barlow" Johnny beams excitedly holding his glass in the air to toast his grandson as Michelle and Steve share a look, Michelle blushing slightly as Steve bites his lip

"To the future?" Peter offers his glass to Carla

"To the future, and to Aidan's future"

* * *

**I guess this is where I part ways with this fic, I hope you enjoyed the journey through Carla's pregnancy and I thank you all for all the lovely review's I've had, I might think about doing a sequel in the future (some time in Carla and Peter's future, with Aidan of course) but for now I just want to have a rest from writing to refresh my brain as I reckon it will do me the world of good, thank you for all the support you have given me and it's sad for me to let go of this one but I think it's about time.**

**Thank you all x**


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